One Fine Mess
by Barbie Shoes
Summary: Regina's gut twisted with an agonizing pull and, for just a moment, she thought she might need to take up the same position as the woman crouched before her. "You're pregnant?" she whispered grimly. Emma's only response was to turn and retch into the toilet again. — Swan Queen, magic!pregnancy
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So this idea initially came to me as a one shot, but I felt like it could continue and as I wrote I did come up with some ideas for future chapters. So, I am marking it complete for now, but if there is interest and inspiration I may continue this story in the future. So be sure to let me know if you like it! And big big big kisses to my darling michaelawaffles for the edits, you are amazing!_

* * *

A sound unfamiliar to the mansion roused Regina in the middle of the night. The pained gasps of someone dry heaving carried down the hall, and immediately she jolted upright in bed, springing to attention at the worry that her son had fallen ill. Another heave, another gasp, and it became clear that the poor soul was no young boy, but a grown woman. Realizing Henry was fine, Regina tried to be annoyed by the disturbance, set on reminding her boorish tenant tomorrow that _some people_ in this house are trying to rest, thank you very much.

Pillow fluffed and neatly tucked back beneath her head, Regina closed her eyes, intent on salvaging what remained of the night. A pathetic whimper sailed through the quiet house and, much to her dismay, Regina found that Emma Swan being the culprit did little to dissuade her concern. Begrudgingly, or at least partially so, she lifted herself out of bed and switched on the lamp, allowing her eyes just a moment to adjust before trudging down the hall. Emma did have a tendency for saving Regina's life; she could at least see what was wrong with the cumbersome fool in return.

The door was open, so Regina didn't bother to announce herself, striding into the bathroom like it was her god given right. Wrapped almost tenderly around the porcelain bowl was the expected pale body with messy golden locks. The woman who now slept each night in the room one door to the left of Regina's own, a pain in her ass and the bane of her existence. The thought to trace a comforting hand over the girl's back crossed Regina's mind, though that would be far too familiar a gesture, especially after... Everything else.

Instead, Regina stood up a little taller, despite her companion's attention being turned elsewhere. Emma really didn't deserve any sympathy right now, not when it seemed clear that she had brought this upon herself, and so Regina hardened her tone as she reprimanded, "If you're going to live here, you're going to have to learn to be more mindful of others. Binge drinking is no excuse to cause such a ruckus in the middle of the night." Hands snapped reflexively to her hips when she received no reply. "What if Henry were to find you like this?"

"Fuck you, Regina," Emma groaned, twisting just enough so that she wasn't speaking directly into the toilet bowl. "I'm not drunk."

"Is it the flu?" Regina's asked, the edges of her tone softening a bit with concern for this woman's well-being. Emma woefully shook her head.

"Well, what is it then?" Regina snapped a little more harshly than intended, finding sympathy difficult to muster at this late hour. "Because I swear to god, if you tell me that you are pregnant–"

She stopped short when terrified, wide eyes turned to face her, watching the color drain from Emma's already grey complexion. Regina's gut twisted with an agonizing pull and, for just a moment, she thought she might need to take up the same position as the woman crouched before her.

"You're pregnant?" she whispered grimly. Emma's only response was to turn and retch into the toilet again.

Regina told herself she had no right to be hurt. It was none of her business what Emma did with her time – or her body. Just because Regina was content to play house with her son and his mother didn't mean Emma would be satiated by the same at all.

"Who's the father, then?" Regina demanded, not caring that it shouldn't concern her, feeling bitter that their family hadn't been enough for Emma. She needed to know, even if there wasn't any answer that would alleviate the rock now settled firmly in her gut. Someone had infiltrated their domestic bubble, bursting it wide open to make room for themselves. Emma wasn't the only one who would be stuck for the rest of her life with the imbecile responsible for this. Regina would, too. Their son would. Their _family._

Dear god, she caught herself hoping, please don't let it be the pirate. Please, _please,_ not the pirate.

"I..." Emma stuttered, finally turning away from the bowl, catching her breath as she wiped her mouth. "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?" Regina gasped indignantly. "How many _possibilities_ could there _be_?" She didn't understand when Emma could have found the time for so many trysts that she wouldn't _know _the father. She didn't understand why. She didn't understand.

"None!" Emma shouted back, then flinched, both women falling silent as they listened for signs that their son had been roused by the commotion. The entire point of this arrangement had been to give him a stable living environment, and that didn't include waking up to his mothers fighting in the middle of the night. All remained quiet and they sighed in relief, Emma finally rising from the ground as they resumed their conversation in hushed tones.

"Ms. Swan," Regina hissed, "truly need I remind you of the birds and the bees?"

"Don't 'Ms. Swan' me!" Emma spat back with equal disdain. "I'm serious, Regina. The only person I've been with even remotely recently is..." she lost her bluster, casting her gaze sheepishly to the ground as she muttered, "Well, you know." Regina did know. She knew exactly what Emma meant, but they never spoke of it. And they certainly wouldn't now.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Regina blurted out after a brief, awkward silence. Emma stared at her incredulously. "No not... Not that. Not the father. But I am certain that you are no Blessed Virgin Mary. Rumple will be able to help, I'm sure of it."

"Fine," Emma conceded, more readily than Regina expected. Then again, it was the middle of the night and she just spent god knows how long getting sick. Perhaps she was just exhausted. "We can go see him in the morning. Goodnight, Regina."

But Regina wouldn't be sleeping much at all the rest of that night. She felt like someone scooped out her insides and forced her to swallow them, leaving a painful lump in the back of her throat, in her chest, in the pit of her stomach. Hollow, yet ready to explode.

She couldn't let this ruin their carefully constructed life, already so precariously balanced. Regina wouldn't let this be the thing that brought everything crashing down. They would go see Gold in the morning. She would figure this out.

* * *

"We have a problem," Regina announced curtly, storming into Rumpelstiltskin's shop with all the subtlety of a hurricane as Emma tried in vain to keep up behind her.

"And a good morning to you as well, your majesty," he replied with a saccharine grin. Regina ignored his sarcasm, not exactly willing to play nice, but also careful not to do or say anything that might cause him to immediately turn them away. This whole situation had her entirely on edge, and her lack of sleep didn't make it any easier for her to remain courteous.

"Emma's pregnant," she said through gritted teeth, hoping to convey the severity of the situation without having to say more.

That, clearly, was not what Rumpelstiltskin expected to hear, and Regina swore she saw a momentary flash of hurt in his eyes. She wondered if it pained him to know that Emma's second child was unquestionably fathered by someone other than his son, knowing the man had gone to his grave still loving a woman who had now obviously moved on. Poor fool, Regina scoffed to herself as she thought of Neal, ignoring the strings of empathy that tugged on her heart at his plight. Rumple, of course, gave nothing more of his feelings away than faint surprise, infuriatingly aloof as ever.

"Do I offer my congratulations or condolences?" he asked Emma directly.

"That depends," Regina interjected, outwardly ignoring the other woman's vexed expression, uncertain if it was the interruption or her comment that sparked it. "We need you to tell us who the father is."

"My, aren't you the busy girl?" Rumple remarked with cavalier superiority. Emma visibly bristled.

"Not that it would normally be _any_ of your business," she spat, hormones apparently making it that much easier to ruffle her feathers, "but no. I've been the exact _opposite_ of busy, actually. I haven't been with a man since..." Emma paused, becoming flustered as she attempted to calculate. "It's been a long time, okay?" she finally gave up with a dramatic sigh.

"That _is_ quite puzzling, now isn't it?" Rumple agreed, still a bit snide. "I do love a good mystery. Let us see what we can uncover."

Both women watched in anticipation as the man behind the counter retrieved a crystal ball, of all things, and made his way around the barrier to Emma before setting the item down on the display case next to them. "May I?" he inquired, gesturing towards Emma's still-flat stomach. The woman's eyes flicked nervously to Regina, who gave a quick, subtle nod of encouragement, silently reveling in the way Emma had turned to her – trusted _her – _for even this one small support.

Rumple's palm pressed gently against Emma's abdomen, and both women recoiled instinctively at the touch. The very idea of anyone putting their hands on Emma was enough to make Regina's skin crawl, but she forced herself to shrug the feeling away. Clearly, someone else had touched Emma Swan far more intimately than this. Regina was going to have to get used to that.

With one hand still resting on Emma's stomach, Rumple placed his other on the crystal ball and turned his attention towards the magical item. Whatever he saw inside the orb remained invisible to Regina, so she focused her attention on Emma, who still appeared wildly uncomfortable with the intimate contact. Like she might take off his arm at any moment. Regina offered a comforting smile, as if to say should the man try anything funny that she would sever his limb herself. Emma relaxed a little and Regina's smile turned inward, proud she could have this effect on the woman.

The elation was cut short when Rumple let out an amused cackle. While Regina couldn't see his face, the fact that he found anything about this situation humorous at all sent a chill down her spine.

"Why, Regina," he sneered, retracting both hands as he turned to face her. "All these years, and I never knew you had a taste for the fairer sex."

It was all Regina could do to suppress the urge to blush. It's not like this was news to Emma, obviously, but something in the pit of her gut that said that the timing of his discovery couldn't be just a coincidence.

"That is because it was not, and _is not_, any of your business," she snapped back with all the indignation she could muster. "Nor is it in any way relevant to the current problem."

"Indeed, your preference is of little concern to me," he replied, unfazed. "But it is most certainly relevant."

Regina shook her head in confusion, growing more perplexed as she watched the other woman's eyes go wide.

"Oh, do not tell me..." Emma drawled, words heavy with the weight of having seen and heard too many ridiculous things for one lifetime.

Rumple's serpentine smile only grew at the plea. "It would seem that congratulations are in order to you _both._"

His final statement hit Regina like a punch in the gut. She felt faint. There was no way what he was saying could be true. She didn't have that... that _ability. _She couldn't be the one responsible for this. Emma would be furious. It couldn't be her.

"That's impossible!" Regina shrieked, quite nearly on the verge of panicking. "It's... It's preposterous!"

"What's preposterous is the Enchanted Forest's lack of sexual education," Rumple sighed. "Let's have a little lesson, shall we?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I am in no mood for–"

"Fill in the blank," Rumple cut her off. "Magic is about what?"

There was no way Regina was going to go along with his game. "This is ridiculous," she huffed, certain it was just another of Rumpelstiltskin's lies.

"Emotion," Emma jumped in, begrudgingly humoring the man when Regina refused. They glared at one another briefly, each silently accusing the other for their lack of solidarity in this moment. "Magic is about emotion."

"Well done, Emma," Rumple cheered condescendingly. "A+ for you. Question two: What part of the body is most involved in the expulsion of magic?"

He stared at Regina pointedly with an expression that said, "You might as well answer now because I could wait here all day." Regina rolled her eyes again.

"I suppose the _hands_," she sneered, placing her own petulantly upon her hips.

"Excellent!" Rumple clapped sardonically. "And now, for extra credit: How might one woman go about pleasing another woman in the bedroom?"

Suddenly, the dots connected. As much as those words coming out of his mouth made her cringe, and as much as the question felt entirely inappropriate, Regina was stunned silent. She gaped at her hands in utter disbelief.

"You're actually saying I got knocked up because Regina finger fucked me!?" Emma's sharp tone and crude language pulled Regina out of her haze.

"Emma!" she gasped, mortified by the blatant admission of what they'd done, of what they could barely acknowledge even in the privacy of the home they now shared. Emma had the good sense to look at least slightly apologetic for her outburst.

"It would appear so," Rumple replied, doing little to hide his amusement over their predicament.

They weren't even a couple, Regina agonized, the weight of dread settling over her chest. It had just been one night. One lonely, lustful night that was never supposed lead to anything more. One night. That's what Emma said. What were they going to tell people? What were they going to say to their son?

"Regina and I are going to have a baby," Emma said again, as if repeating the idea aloud might help her comprehend it.

"A daughter, in fact," Rumple offered smugly. "Given the lack of a Y chromosome, the child will undoubtedly be female."

"A daughter?" Regina whispered to herself, the specificity making everything suddenly very sharply real. She had often wondered what it might be like to have a little girl. Images of baby dolls and tea parties and dark curly hair tied up in bows flashed through Regina's mind. Or maybe she would prefer comic books and climbing trees like her brother, running away as Regina chased after with a comb in her hand. The possibilities of who she might be were many, but she was very, very real.

"Oh, so now the rules of science apply again?" Emma's sarcastic comment brought Regina back to the present. She didn't miss the way the girl's hand came up to steady her stomach, nor the shuddering breath that followed. Of course Emma would try to mask physical weakness with bravado.

"Sheriff, you're looking a bit green," Rumple said, sending Regina a caustic grin as he added, "Not that I blame you."

"Save it, imp," Regina snapped, hoping the man couldn't sense her fear that she might indeed be the cause. She focused on Emma, wanting so badly to reach out and touch her in comfort, though unsure it would be well-received. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Emma insisted, inhaling deeply through her nose again. "This morning sickness is just really kicking my ass."

"The restroom is down the hall, dearie," Rumple stated with a distinct lack of sympathy. "If you're going to be ill, I'd request you do it there."

Emma looked as though she were about to refuse, until she was forced to choke back a heave. "Excuse me a minute," she wheezed as she fled down the hall.

Regina debated whether or not she was expected to follow. She went to check on Emma the night before, when she was merely Regina's sick roommate. Now, she was the woman who carried Regina's child, and she thought perhaps that made it her duty. Then again, it's not like Emma was her lover. In the end, Regina determined the woman would likely rather be left without an audience anyway.

"I have to ask," Regina began as Rumple secured the crystal ball back in its case. "I have light magic, but I also have dark magic. The baby, is she..."

"Worry not," Rumple replied, "the child is a product of light magic."

There was relief in hearing those words, but Regina still worried. There was so much darkness lurking in her past, in her heart, and even her magic. The thought that she might pass any shred of that on to her innocent daughter was terrifying.

"How can you be sure?" she asked in a fearful whisper.

Without missing a beat, Rumple replied, "Because you're in love with her."

Regina's stomach somersaulted upon hearing those words said out loud. "Emma?" she huffed. "I most certainly am not."

But it was a bold face lie and Regina knew it. She tried to ignore it, tried to force the feelings away, but she was. She was absolutely in love with a woman who hadn't the slightest clue. A woman who most certainly wanted nothing from her besides a roof, a co-parent, a one-time bed warmer and an occasional friend. Just five years and she would have been free, forced only to see Emma on holidays and family occasions. Now they were starting at square one and Regina resigned herself to the fact that she was doomed to never be rid of this woman - to spend eternity so very close to her, yet just out of reach.

Of course, Rumple saw through her lie just as easily as he'd seen through her charade. "Magic _is_ about emotion Regina," he reiterated matter-of-factly. "And it wasn't Emma's magic that got her pregnant. Point of fact, she seems rather nauseated by the very notion that _you_ were the one who caused this."

That stung. Regina felt the blush that had begun at the base of her spine spreading up her back and chest. He was being cruel and he knew it, using Regina's insecurity against her. She gasped sharply at the sudden pain in her chest, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. He'd landed a solid blow but Regina wouldn't let him see it, channeling her pain into anger. "Or maybe she's freaking out because the impossible just became possible and resulted in a child that nobody wanted!"

"Hey!" Emma's enraged voice at the door caused Regina's mood to shift immediately from anger back to dread. She turned to face the other woman, Emma standing with one hand placed protectively over her abdomen and a deep scowl on her face. "Don't talk about my kid like that."

"_Our _kid," Regina corrected, old heartache mixing with the new. "She is _our _child, Emma."

"Yeah? Well maybe you should fucking try acting like it." Emma stormed past them and out the front door. This time Regina did not hesitate a moment before following, sparing not even a nod in Rumple's direction as she fled.

"Emma, wait!" Regina cried out before jogging to catch up, surprised at how far ahead of her the woman was. "Emma, please, I'm sorry!"

Finally close enough to reach her, Regina softly grabbed Emma's shoulder and encouraged her to turn around. The stiff urgency immediately left Emma's body and she deflated. Regina's chest constricted as the girl turned to face her with angry tears still burning down her pale cheeks.

"I'm just getting the hang of this 'motherhood' thing with Henry, you know?" Emma sobbed. "I don't even know how to begin taking care of a baby. All I have are the memories you gave me, but who says I can actually do this? I just," she choked and sniffled again, "I don't want to do it alone."

"You won't," Regina told her, fervently wiping away the woman's tears and vowing that she would stay by Emma's side for the rest of her life if needed, no matter how much it pained her. "I promise you won't have to. We will do it together."

"You have to want her. Okay?" Emma pleaded. "She can't _ever_ be unwanted."

Suddenly, Regina understood exactly what she said wrong - how her words must have sounded to the little girl deep inside of Emma, who never had a family or a home to call her own, and who repeatedly lost hope of ever being wanted or belonging anywhere.

"I do, Emma," Regina said firmly. "I want her, I promise you. I only meant that we weren't looking for this. But now that it's happened, I wouldn't take it back." The truth of her own words sunk in as she spoke them, and she realized just how badly she desired to be a mother to this little girl. _Their daughter_. Throwing caution to the wind, she wrapped her arms around Emma's waist, pulling the woman close and whispering into her hair, "I want her. I want her so _very_ much."

Emma nodded her understanding into Regina's shoulder, gripping her back fiercely and holding on for a long moment until her breathing evened out. When at last Emma released her hold, it was with a sheepish smile as she wiped at the drying streaks on her face.

"Sorry," she murmured with an embarrassed chuckle. "I guess I'm a mess of hormones these days."

"It's quite alright, dear," Regina smiled tenderly, causing Emma's grin to widen.

"I should probably get to the station," Emma dawdled awkwardly. "I'll... see you at home?"

Regina nodded her agreement and before she could comprehend what was happening, Emma leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss at the corner of her mouth. Regina's stomach fluttered almost painfully, and her heart felt like it might explode.

"Thank you, Regina," Emma said shyly as she slowly backed away, turning to face Regina at the last second. "I, uh," she stumbled, "I'm glad, you know. That it's you."

Stunned by the sentiment and still reeling from Emma's kiss, Regina could only nod and smile gratefully in response. Emma shrugged, still grinning timidly as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before turning and walking away.

This was one fine mess, for certain. Regina sighed, caressing the spot where Emma's lips touched hers. It was an absolute mess, and Regina was petrified to realize just how much she wanted it all.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I am beyond thrilled with how much people took to the first chapter of this story and that so many people wish to see it continued! Your excitement makes me excited to write, so thank you for all the reviews. I have a certain flashback planned for next chapter, so if you're still excited be sure to let me know!_

_Huge, epic thanks to michaelawaffles for editing again. She had her work cut out for her this chapter so thank you for helping me make it the very best it can be!_

* * *

Regina watched in abject horror and morbid fascination as Emma shoveled forkful after forkful of maple syrup-drenched pancakes into her mouth. She was on her second stack and her hunger seemed insatiable.

"You _are_ aware that when they say you're eating for two," Regina began, lips curled in distaste, "the second person is _the baby_ and not a lumberjack, yes?"

"Hilarious," Emma deadpanned around a tremendous mouthful, swallowing the food with an appreciative groan. "I haven't been able to keep anything down in weeks. I'm starving."

The ferocity with which Emma devoured her meal was entirely savage and ill-mannered. But, perhaps worst of all, Regina actually found the entire scene incredibly... _endearing_. Never in her life would she have imagined she would be so enamored by the sight of someone sitting cross-legged at the table, hunched over a plate of food and unabashedly licking syrup off her fork.

Oh, how she detested being in love with Emma Swan.

"Fair enough," Regina said, "but don't come crying to me after she's born and it's more than baby weight you're trying to work off."

Emma seemed to consider that, pausing mid-chew to cast a sideways glance at her meal. A moment later she simply shrugged, diving headlong into another mouthful. Regina resisted the infuriating urge to grin at the woman's wild abandon over a plate of pancakes. More than anything, she was relieved to see Emma had a healthy appetite again.

About a month had passed since their visit to Rumpelstiltskin, placing Emma in her fourteenth week of pregnancy. It had been like magic the moment she hit the second trimester and Emma's morning sickness all but vanished, much to the relief of both women. But now there was a new dilemma at hand.

"You know, we're going to have to start telling people soon," Regina began cautiously. "You're starting to show."

"I am not!" Emma huffed indignantly, placing a hand on her tiny belly. It was true that there wasn't much to see yet, though she did look a bit like she'd just taken full advantage of an 'all you can eat' buffet.

"If you want to keep telling yourself that _that's_ all pancake," Regina gestured towards the little bump, "be my guest. But people are going to start noticing soon, and I am not comfortable lying to Henry."

"Henry," Emma groaned, propping her head up in her hand. "I still have no idea what to tell him about all this."

Regina agonized over this very predicament since the moment Rumple told them the baby was hers. She certainly didn't want to explain the concept of a one-night stand or the momentary passion between two adults to her son, but they couldn't let him think it was anything more than it was. That simply wouldn't be fair to Henry.

"We tell him the truth," Regina said, without room for question. Emma visibly cringed, but didn't argue. "I am not looking forward to this any more than you are but he is old enough to understand, and he deserves to know exactly what is – or rather _is not_ – between us."

There was always part of Regina that felt pained whenever she had to verbally acknowledge the unrequited state of her feelings. It was the same part that always hoped, ever so feebly, that Emma might just refute her words and tell her she was wrong.

"You're right," Emma sighed, as Regina expected she would. "We'll tell him today, when he gets home from school."

* * *

The air in the room was tense as the two mothers waited for their son to arrive home. This wasn't going to be easy to explain, and there was no way to know how their son might react. Both women sprung to attention at the sound of little feet running up the walk.

"Henry," Regina called as soon as they heard the front door slam. "Would you please join Emma and me in the living room?"

"Hey, moms," Henry said, sloughing his book bag onto the floor. "What's up?"

"Take a seat, kid," Emma replied nervously. "Your mom and I need to talk to you about something."

"Is everyone okay?" Henry asked, immediately picking up on the anxious trepidation in Emma's voice. "Did someone else get hurt? Is there another bad guy we need to defeat?"

"Everyone is fine, dear," Regina assured, gently guiding the boy until he was seated on the couch next to her. "What we need to discuss with you is a bit... complicated."

"More complicated than being related to every fairy tale character ever?" Henry joked in an attempt to ease his mothers' combined tension. Emma and Regina shared a knowing look, one that always seemed to frustrate their son when he couldn't decipher what they were thinking.

"Yes," Regina continued. "Something happened, between your mother and I–"

"You're not moving out, are you?" Henry interrupted, turning to address Emma. Regina couldn't help but feel slightly victorious that her son specified 'you' and not 'we'. A small part of her still sometimes feared Henry might choose Emma over her, were it ever a choice he needed to make. "I really like having you here. _Both _of you."

"I'm not going anywhere. You won't get rid of me that easily," Emma said with a wink, making Henry smile and relax again.

"Well, what then? Are you guys dating or something?" he asked flippantly. Regina's heart jumped to her throat at the thought, caught off guard by her son's unexpected, yet completely valid, question.

"N-no," she stumbled gracelessly. Ignoring the confused look from the woman seated across the room, she pressed dutifully forward. "We are not a couple. But something did happen, _once_," she emphasized strongly, taking a steadying breath before dropping the bombshell. "And that something has resulted in... a pregnancy."

Henry scrunched his face in confusion, looking so much like Emma in that moment that it made Regina's heart clench inside her chest. He glanced back and forth between them several times. "Whose?" he finally asked. Emma guiltily raised her hand and Henry's eyes lit up. "I'm going to be a big brother?"

"Yeah," Emma grinned, nerves visibly dissipating upon seeing his unrestrained excitement. She lovingly ran a hand over her small belly. "You're going to have a little sister."

"Awesome!" Henry fist-pumped the air enthusiastically. If nothing else positive came from this painfully awkward conversation, it was a relief to know Henry wasn't upset at the prospect of having a younger sibling. Neither of his mothers would ever want him to feel like he was being replaced, or like he wasn't enough. "But wait," he stopped, looking puzzled again, "what's that have to do with Mom? And who's the baby's dad?"

Mimicking Emma, it was now Regina who tentatively raised her hand. "That would be me."

For several long, awkward moments, Henry simply stared, glancing between his two mothers with his mouth gaping open as he processed the surprising admissions. Regina waited patiently but clenched one fist against her leg, wishing Emma was close enough that she could grab her hand for comfort. Emma always made her feel safe.

"_You two_ made a baby," Henry asked slowly once he finally connected the dots, "together?"

Both women nodded diffidently.

"But..." he shook his head, "_how_?"

"Trust me, kid," Emma chuckled dryly, "we could explain it to you the way Rumpelstiltskin explained it to us, but I think knowing the details of how your parents made a baby would spark visuals that could scar you for the rest of your life."

"Gross," Henry winced, apparently scarred enough by the very notion.

"Magic, is the short answer," Regina explained, noticing a worried look pass over her son's face. "Good magic," she amended quickly. "Light magic created this child."

Henry was silent for a long moment and Regina's stomach tied itself in painful knots as she observed her son. He'd been so excited about Emma having a baby but what if he rejected Regina's involvement? He might think it was some sort of evil trap. He might simply believe she wasn't good enough to have tainted the savior this way. Of course Henry loved her, she knew that, but trusting her was an entirely different matter. She had no idea how much of his trust she had earned.

"Okay, cool," he finally said, flooding Regina with relief. "I mean, kind of weird, but cool. It sort of ties us all together, you know? I'm related to Emma, she's related to the baby, the baby's related to you, and you're my mom. I think she'll make us a complete family."

Regina felt like she could cry hearing her son's words and, judging by the sniffles coming from across the room, she wasn't the only one. In fact, Emma was already battling fat tears that rolled down her cheeks. Internally, Regina fought against her desire to take the woman into her arms. No matter how many times Emma got like this – and over the past month it had happened plenty – it always made Regina's heart ache in the most unpleasantly affectionate way.

"Momma, are you okay?" Henry asked uncertainly, looking slightly uncomfortable by the outburst of emotion from the generally stoic woman.

"I'm fine," Emma squeaked. "It's just," she clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob, "that was really beautiful."

Henry turned back to Regina, looking thoroughly perplexed.

"Pregnancy hormones," Regina explained. "They affect every woman differently. In the case of your mother," she smirked, needling Emma lightly, "they turn her into a blubbering idiot whenever she so much as knocks over a glass of water."

"That happened _one time,_" Emma huffed, making Regina grin at having gotten exactly the rise she wanted out of her. They may be living together, parenting together, and having a baby together, but no matter how in love with Emma she might be, they would always feel the need to antagonize one another just a bit.

"You guys sound like an old married couple," Henry rolled his eyes and then frowned. "Wait, _are you _going to get married?"

This is exactly what Regina had been afraid of – her son's idealistic notions of True Love and family. "No, Henry," she patiently explained again. "Emma and I care for one another very much, but we don't share those type of feelings."

"Yeah," Henry snorted sarcastically, eyeing them both with suspicion, "okay."

Regina groaned internally, knowing there was nothing she could say to sway the boy's thoughts. It's not like he wasn't half right, anyway. She supposed only time would make him see her unfortunate reality.

* * *

A few days passed after they talked to Henry, and the boy's enthusiasm only seemed to mount with time. By now he was suggesting names – though none they could actually consider – and offering to babysit so Emma and Regina would be able to "go out". He didn't say, "on a date," though the implication was clear. While she didn't want to feed his fantasies, Regina mused that perhaps a night out wouldn't be so bad. After all, taking care of a newborn around the clock was a lot of work, more than Emma could hope to grasp until she experienced it for herself. One night away could be a much-needed break for them both. It wouldn't be a date, of course, but it would be worth it to make Emma smile.

Regina wondered when she had become such a hopeless sap.

Henry's enthusiasm over his baby sister was heartwarming, though at times exhausting. Taking care of her son, while immeasurably rewarding, was challenging enough. But now she also had Emma to tend to, because god knows Regina wasn't going to depend on the woman to take care of her own health while carrying _their _baby. After a particularly hectic day at the office, it had been all Regina could do to drag herself up the stairs before collapsing into bed.

Which is why she found herself feeling especially annoyed upon being gently shaken awake in the middle of the night.

"Regina," she barely registered Emma's small voice, "I'm bleeding."

"There are bandages in the medicine cabinet," the tired woman grumbled back.

"No, Regina," Emma said again, and this time the urgency in her tone was clear. "I'm _bleeding. _I think something might be wrong with the baby."

Regina shot up in bed, instantly wide awake. Her stomach clenched in cold panic but one look at Emma's terrified and tear streaked face, and Regina knew she had to be the one to hold it together right now. She swallowed her fear, packing it up in the neat little box where she kept all the messy things she didn't want to feel. The box that, unfortunately, could not seem to contain the one thing she wished to feel least of all.

"Go get some pants on," Regina instructed evenly, because of course Emma was wearing only her underwear. "I'll talk to Henry and then we're going to the hospital. Alright?"

Emma nodded but sobbed as a fresh flood of tears spilled over her cheeks.

"I can't lose her, Regina."

"I know." Regina gently stroked the woman's hair as she spoke. "Everything is going to be fine. We are _not_ going to lose her."

She wasn't sure if she said it more for Emma or herself. There was no way either of them could know if what she said was true but Emma needed to hear it, and Regina needed to believe it in order to stay strong for Emma. This baby and their family – however unconventional it may be – meant everything to Regina. It might not be perfect but, in it's way, it was everything she ever wanted.

Quickly throwing on her slacks and cardigan from the previous day, Regina hustled down the hall to their son's room. She hated having to wake him, and to worry him, but there wasn't time to wait for someone else to get here and it wouldn't be right to just leave him alone.

"Henry," she softly rubbed his back to wake him. "Henry, sweetie, I need you to wake up and listen to me."

"Mom?" he mumbled sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to worry," she explained, ever calm despite the torrent inside her, "but I need to take Emma to the hospital right away."

"Is she okay?" Henry asked anxiously. "Is the baby okay?"

"That's what we are going to find out," Regina replied, ignoring the way her heart sank when she was unable to assure her son that yes, his mother and the baby were perfectly fine. "I want you to call David. He will come stay with you until we get back. Understand?"

Henry nodded as Emma appeared in the doorway, still looking like a frightened doe and making Regina's heart throb. There was nothing she could do to fix this for her, and there was nothing worse than that helpless feeling of being unable to comfort the woman she cared for so deeply. Emma's sorrowful expression seemed to have a similar effect on Henry as the boy leapt from his bed to wrap his arms around her.

"I love you, Momma," he said encouragingly, and Emma actually smiled just a little.

"Love you too, kid," she replied. "Everything is going to be fine." She looked to Regina, who nodded her confirmation again at what they both knew very well was more hope than fact. "We'll call you as soon as we know anything, okay?" Henry nodded, and with a quick round of kisses, his mothers left.

Emma was quiet in the car and even quieter still as they waited to be seen in the examination room. Regina desperately wished she could think of anything helpful to say but all she could seem to manage were sympathetic looks each time Emma caught her eye. This baby wasn't even meant to exist. Now the thought of life without her was unbearable for them both.

"This is all my fault," Emma said woefully, staring straight ahead. "I put off making the appointment and now something is wrong."

"This is _not_ your fault, Emma," Regina said firmly. "Whatever's happening would have happened regardless. And we don't even know for sure yet that anything's wrong." Regina tried to comfortingly stroke the woman's hair again but Emma jerked away self deprecatingly. The rejection stung but Regina pushed the pain aside. Emma's feelings were more important to her right now. "Don't berate yourself for this."

Before Emma could respond, Dr. Whale entered the room carrying a small electronic device with a sort of wand attached to it by a cord. "Alright, Emma," he said, "this is a Fetal Doppler. I'm going to use it to check for the baby's heartbeat. Would you mind lifting your shirt for me?"

Emma complied, gasping quietly as the doctor liberally applied cold gel to her abdomen and pressed the wand to her skin. Regina felt delicate fingers press into her forearm and looked down to see Emma's hand blindly searching for her own. She smiled ruefully at the gesture, understanding now that it wasn't her touch Emma had rejected before, but the idea that she deserved to be consoled. Opening her palm, Regina laced their fingers together, running her thumb soothingly over the back of Emma's hand when the girl tightened her grip. It wasn't much but it was at least something she could do.

For a moment the room was silent, save for the static of the machine, and Regina was almost certain Emma was holding her breath. Dr. Whale moved the device painfully slow as he sought out a heartbeat, and a lump began to form in Regina's throat. The fear she'd held at bay began leaking out with each quiet second she stood there, willing her daughter to be alive. Just when she was certain she couldn't take one more second of this dreadful anticipation, a loud whooshing noise suddenly filled the room.

"There it is," Dr. Whale said victoriously, and Emma immediately burst into tears again.

"She's okay?" Emma asked with desperate hope.

"We can run a couple more tests to be sure," Dr. Whale replied, "but she's certainly got a strong heartbeat. A little spotting during pregnancy _can_ be perfectly normal."

Emma buried her face in Regina's shoulder as she sobbed her relief. Several tears finally escaped Regina's eyes as well at the good news, and her breath caught in her chest. Right now, the sound of their daughter's heartbeat filling the room was the most beautiful music Regina had ever heard.

Dr. Whale began to remove the wand and Emma's head shot up. "Wait, don't take it away yet," she pleaded, and the doctor complied. "Regina, get out your phone and make a recording," Emma implored with eager elation. Regina's heart swelled at seeing the earnest joy that had returned to the girl's beautiful green eyes. She didn't even have the energy to berate herself for her feelings right now; all she could do was smile and bask in their relief and Emma's excitement.

They had been recording for less than a minute when Snow White suddenly came bursting into the room, startling all three occupants.

"Emma! Are you okay?" she asked urgently.

"I'm fine," Emma replied with alarm. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Snow didn't respond, instead staring blankly at the scene before her for several long moments. The sound of the Fetal Doppler. Regina holding Emma's hand. Emma's tiny swollen belly. The woman's brow furrowed deeply and the scrutiny made Regina feel like she really ought to take back her hand. But Emma seemed intent to hold on, and Regina didn't have the heart to let her go no matter her own discomfort.

"Are you..." Snow shook her head dumbly. "You're pregnant?"

"Surprise?" Emma said with a grimace and a guilty shrug.

"That it certainly is," Snow replied breathily. "Not an unwelcome one, of course, but... When were you planning on telling us?"

"Soon," Emma hurriedly assured her. "We were going to tell you soon."

"_We_?" Snow gasped somewhat excitedly, making Regina cringe. There would be no easing into this conversation, apparently. "Who's the father?"

"Um," Emma shifted uncomfortably, "that's kind of a long story but... It's Regina."

Snow sighed with a dramatic eye roll. "Emma, it's the middle of the night. This isn't funny."

"She isn't joking," Regina snapped defensively and, judging by Snow's suddenly wide eyes and parted lips, the point had been made.

Dr. Whale let out a snort.

"Oh," he guffawed, "I would have _paid_ to see that."

Regina bristled hotly. She did not appreciate being treated like a spectacle, especially for the sake of some perverted male fantasy that would distort a memory she held very dear and turn it into something cheap and disgusting. Her life and, more importantly, her family, were not a punch line nor fodder for this scumbag's pornographic musings.

"Doctor," she bit harshly, her severity dissolving the smile right off the man's face, "could you give us a minute, _please_?" Her words were cordial, though her tone made it clear that it was in his very best interests to make himself scarce immediately. Emma squeezed her hand encouragingly as Dr. Whale fled, and Regina relaxed a little as she focused on the feeling of soft fingers woven between her own. No way in hell that man was delivering their child.

The door shut and Snow finally rediscovered her voice. "This is..." she shook her head again. "It's not possible."

"According to Rumplestiltskin," Regina attempted to sound indignant, "it is."

In actuality, she was nervous. She hated that she cared at all but, for some reason, it seemed important to have Snow's support in this. Perhaps it was only for Emma's sake. That's what Regina would choose to believe, not that she might actually consider Snow to be a part of her little family as well.

"Yeah," Emma smirked. "Regina's got some _really_ magic fingers."

Snow held up a silencing hand to her daughter. "That is a bit more information than I needed," she cringed. "Is this why you broke up with Hook? To be with Regina?"

"No," Emma shook her head and then pointed to her belly. "This happened after. And Regina and I aren't..." she finally untangled their hands, "together."

Regina wondered if making that distinction would ever hurt any less, or if her heart would continue to break a little bit more every time it was mentioned, for the rest of their lives. She didn't have time to wallow as Snow's attention turned her way.

"So, how long have you been sleeping with my daughter?"

Snow wasn't angry, hardly even accusing. She almost sounded more disappointed than anything, as if it were she that had once been forced to play mother to Regina and not the other way around. Still, Regina didn't want to upset the very new state of peace they had found between them.

"I'm not..." she stumbled to explain. "I mean, we haven't been..."

At that, Snow's eyes lit up in understanding, and somewhere inside Regina knew, she just _knew _that in that moment Snow had seen everything. The way the woman was looking at her, with surprise and realization and just a bit of sympathy, Regina was sure that Snow had figured out her secret. She prayed to god that, for once in her life, Snow White could keep her mouth shut.

"Now I see," Snow murmured astutely, turning her full attention back to Emma. "One night stands are as far as you ever go, right?"

"_Mom_!" Emma huffed petulantly.

"Honey, look, I'm not judging," Snow held up her hands in a gesture of abdication. "Alright? But someone is going to have to explain this to your father, and it certainly isn't going to be me."

"What do you suggest, then?" Regina inquired, almost certain she wouldn't like the answer.

"Dinner at our place," Snow answered cheerfully. "Tomorrow night. Or I guess," she looked at the clock, noting that it was well past midnight, "tonight, technically. I'm sure you'll both be exhausted after this evening. I'll cook, and you can explain all _this_ to David."

"Fine, we'll be there," Emma accepted on behalf of both of them.

"I don't recall agreeing to this," Regina quipped.

"You are _not _making me do this by myself," Emma hissed through gritted teeth. Regina pursed her lips at Emma's annoyance. Of course she wasn't going to make her go it alone.

"Very well, then," Regina replied, smiling caustically at Snow. "We'll see you tonight."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this! Hopefully you'll find it worth it lol. Thanks so much for the reviews and continued interest in this story, it really means a lot! I'll try not to wait a whole month before updating again!_

_As always, huge thanks to michaelawaffles for editing!_

* * *

Regina was too tired for this. It was late, the low light in the cozy apartment making her feel all the more drowsy despite herself. On the couch, Henry yawned over the video game he had retired to after supper, forcing his mother to stifle one of her own. She wished that perhaps they had invited the Charmings over to their home instead, so they might be sitting in the plush comfort of her own living room instead of the unforgiving wooden chairs of Snow White's kitchen table.

"So, you're just – what, exactly?" David asked, not taking the news particularly well, though not quite so badly as Regina anticipated. While the whole 'magical conception' thing had hardly seemed to phase him, the fact that – to his knowledge – Regina had no amorous intentions towards his daughter struck an apparent nerve. "Platonic former-enemies who happen to be living together and co-parenting their two children?"

She wondered how many times they would be forced to explain the circumstances around their daughter's conception, how many times they must denounce their relationship and justify their parenting choices to others. Regina was sure that neither were the business of anyone besides herself and Emma, yet here they were, explaining and defending for the second time in under twenty-four hours.

"I hardly think bringing up our past relationship is relevant or necessary," Regina sighed.

David looked ready to object. "She's right," Emma quickly intervened, halting his protest before he could speak. "Regina and I are… we're friends?" There was a question in the word, as if she knew it didn't quite fit but didn't know why. "And we are committed to raising our kids together. That's all that matters."

"But what about _love_?" Snow asked with a naive glimmer.

"We love our children," Regina deadpanned, deliberately obtuse. Snow was sticking her nose where it didn't belong again. There was no question whether or not playing dumb would deter her but, even so, Regina wouldn't take the bait so easily.

"You know what I mean," Snow pressed, miffed by the dismissal. "_Romance_. Don't you want someone to share your lives with?"

Now Regina understood. Snow White wasn't just sticking her nose where it didn't belong – she was meddling. Trying to goad Regina into a confession, or perhaps coax some response from her own daughter. Clearly she intended to play matchmaker, and Regina would not have that. Calling a truce was one thing. Allowing this woman to muddy her romantic affairs again was quite another.

"Not all of us have the luxury of settling down with True Love," Regina replied, pinning Snow with a cold stare that said in no uncertain terms that the topic was closing. "The children come first. As they _should._"

She couldn't help the last dig. It had always bothered her that David could be Snow's True Love as well as the 'thing she loved most.' It should have been Emma. It should have been their unborn child, baby Neal. Regina loved Emma. Her heart ached for her; perhaps it could even have been True Love if Emma felt the same. But how a mother could love anyone more than her child, Regina would never understand.

"And hey," Emma playfully broke the tension before it could take over, smiling and winking at Regina as she said, "we always have each other." Regina prayed that the blush she felt burning across her chest wouldn't creep its way up to her cheeks. Especially not in front of Snow. She would not give that woman the satisfaction.

David shook his head, far from amused as he rubbed his fingers over his temples.

"How did this even _happen_?"

* * *

_15 Weeks Ago_

The house was too still with no one else home. Regina spent plenty of time living alone in the mansion, but in the past few weeks that Emma and Henry had been living here she had gotten far too used to sounds of the two scatterbrains bustling about. Flicking through the TV, rifling in the fridge for a snack, hunting helplessly for a lost shoe. Such things she would have expected to be an annoyance, a hindrance to her peace and routine. Yet, somehow, their noise had become her peace. The house was beautiful, to be sure. But it was Henry, and even Emma, who brought life and warmth to these cold, white walls and made it a home.

So now Regina sat alone on the living room couch, reading a rather dull book to quiet her mind and sipping slowly on her second glass of homemade hard cider. It helped a little to imagine Henry was asleep upstairs, though he was spending the night at his grandparents' and babysitting his Uncle Neal. She pretended that Emma, too, was due home any moment, despite knowing she was out with the pirate and could likely not be expected back this evening at all, what with it being their first full night alone.

Which is why the slamming of the front door startled her all the more. Regina was sure she had locked it, and there was absolutely no reason for Henry to come home unplanned at such a late hour, so it had to be Emma. Regina hated the way her heart pounded painfully in this moment, telling herself it was only adrenaline from her fright. Emma appeared in the doorway, and Regina's heart absolutely did not beat harder still.

"How was your _date_?" Regina quipped with a snide guise of her disdain.

"We broke up," Emma shrugged, hands shoved listlessly into her pockets. Her voice was flat, for a moment devoid of all emotion, as though only now realizing the truth of the situation. Her words were absolutely not what Regina expected to hear.

"What?" she inquired with rapt attention, forgetting to even mark her page as she closed her book. Knowing she was being incredibly selfish, Regina still found she was unable to ignore just how very much she hoped for this new development to remain a permanent state.

"Well, I broke up with him," Emma replied, relaxing her stance a bit. She strolled over to the couch and unceremoniously plopped herself down next to Regina, sighing as if the evening had depleted her of all momentum.

"Your father will be heartbroken," Regina teased. Emma snorted, propping her feet up on the coffee table and, for tonight, Regina did not bother to object. "What happened?"

"I just couldn't do it anymore," Emma groused, lolling her head back on the cushion. "I'm so goddamn tired of _arguing _all the time."

"Arguing?" Regina asked with genuine curiosity. She'd have thought Hook would be bending over backwards to keep Emma happy, what with all the time he spent pathetically drooling over the girl before she gave in. "About what?"

Emma leaned forward, snagging Regina's unfinished drink without preamble and pouring it down her throat. "You, mostly," she said with such nonchalance that Regina was sure she must have heard incorrectly. "He was always brooding about the fact that you wouldn't let him come to the house, and that I still chose to come live here despite that instead of – well, anywhere else, I guess."

"I'm sorry, Emma." Regina sincerely had not meant to put a strain on Emma's relationship, despite her own distrust of the man. She simply didn't want such a person around her, her home, or her son. She didn't love seeing him around Emma either, but that wasn't her choice to make.

"Don't be. _This,_" Emma gestured a hand back and forth between them, "is more important. We have a kid, and if anyone else is going to be in my life they need to be able to accept you, too. Honestly, I think he was jealous." She actually giggled a little. "I mean, the slightly damaged, freshly reformed villain _does _seem to be my type," Emma winked, giving Regina unexpected butterflies. "He just... _Needs_ me so much. The only person I want to need me is Henry. I can't be the sole source of someone else's happiness. It's too much."

"At least someone would choose to be with you," Regina said without thinking, immediately regretting the statement. That was supposed to be behind them. It _was _behind them. Sure, she had lost something when Robin Hood left her for his wife. But with a little time, as the ache of rejection faded, she'd come to realize that it was the loss of what could have been that hurt the most, not the loss of what was. Mostly, she just felt alone.

"Regina..." Emma drawled, tipping her head like a sad puppy.

"Forget I said anything," Regina tried to brush it off. "I didn't mean to bring it up again."

"No, that's not what I was going to say," Emma persisted. "I was going to say– I mean, I get why Robin did what he did. I do. But," Regina was staring at her lap, too embarrassed now to make eye contact, until Emma's hand on her cheek softly beckoned her to look up. "You are a clear _first_ choice, Regina. And you deserve someone who will see that."

Her stomach somersaulted in such an excruciating way as to eradicate all rational thought. Before she even had a chance to hesitate Regina launched herself forward, kissing the woman hard and holding her tight, inhaling greedily as if Emma was the air she needed to breathe.

Until she actually realized what she was doing, and jumped back abruptly.

"I'm sorry," Regina sputtered, both women panting heavily. "I shouldn't have done that. You were just saying these perfect things and–"

Emma's lips colliding with her own cut her off again and all Regina could do was sink into the feeling. This was a bad idea, she knew it was, but Emma was just so _soft_ – her mouth warm and malleable, her arms sturdy and secure. She felt like all the tenderness and strength Regina had always craved yet could never seem to find.

Soon, she was grabbing at Emma's clothes in fistfuls, wanting to be so much closer than she ever should have gotten. Their tongues began a delicate dance, Emma's kneading and prodding and asking for all the things Regina desperately wanted to give, but knew she shouldn't. When Emma began whimpering sweetly into her mouth, Regina reluctantly pulled herself away.

"We shouldn't," she tried breathlessly. "Henry–"

"Never has to know," Emma finished for her. "It'll just be one night. Just once." She crept closer, her breath hot against Regina's aching lips. "God knows we could both use the release."

That sobered Regina up a bit, leaning back as much as her position allowed. "Did you not _just _break up with a man whose main objective for as long as you've known him was to get into your pants?"

"We never really got that far," Emma confessed, "what with chasing down the villain of the week all the time. But that doesn't matter, anyway." She leaned in again. "I want you," Emma whispered with such earnestness that it made Regina's heart roil. "Can't we just let go of everything? Just for one night? And then it never has to happen again. Just this once."

It had been so long since Regina had been with anyone in this way. Much like Emma, her last relationship had never reached that level of intimacy. It hadn't really concerned her; she was capable of taking care of herself, after all. Except now here was Emma saying she wanted her, staring at her with hopeful, shining eyes and kissing Regina in a way that stirred places inside she had long forgotten even existed.

Silently nodding her consent, Regina realized there really wasn't ever any question that she would. For a moment Emma looked surprised, like she hadn't expected that Regina might actually say yes and now wasn't quite sure how to proceed.

Biting her lip, Emma ran a thumb over Regina's warm cheek, leaning in to kiss her much more tenderly and slowly than before. It was as Emma's lips delicately and deliberately pressed against her own that Regina realized, all too late, that she wasn't just in this for the release.

Suddenly Emma was straddling her lap, peeling off her own top and then her bra, kissing and wanting – and there was a moment where Regina knew, with absolute clarity, that her desire for Emma was so much more than her body. But she had already agreed to this, to this singular night, and she didn't honestly want to take it back, anyway. If this was all she got, she would take it. Emma just felt too good.

The buttons of Regina's blouse were popped open by Emma's hurried, trembling fingers, likely losing a few in the process, though it was beyond either of them to care now. Regina's shirt was cast aside as she brought her hands up to find Emma's own soft, naked breasts, hardly able to comprehend that she had been granted permission to touch the other woman this way.

She wanted so badly to tell Emma she was beautiful, that she had never been privy to something more beautiful in her life than the trusting, vulnerable sight before her. The words begged to be released from Regina's throat, but she swallowed them down. They were having sex, she reminded herself, not making love. Such sentiments were surely unwelcome and, even were they not, they were entirely too revealing. So she occupied her restless mouth by sucking on a straining nipple, reveling in Emma's quiet, desperate gasps.

She began fumbling blindly with the button on Emma's pants, returning her lips to the girl's mouth. When at last it was unhooked and unzipped, Emma moved her feet to the ground, her mouth remaining fused to Regina's and hands still gripping the back of the couch. Together they wriggled Emma's jeans and panties down her thighs until she was able to kick them off her feet and, just like that, Emma Swan was completely naked in Regina's lap.

Regina grabbed Emma's hips, sinking her fingers into the pliable flesh of the woman's behind. She ran her hands over the backs of shaking thighs, over a shuddering abdomen and flexed arms – every inch of skin available to her, except the one place that would take them past the point of no return.

"Regina," Emma groaned at the hesitation. "Touch me. _Please._"

There was no way in hell she could ever deny such a plea, running her fingers down Emma's chest, her stomach, over her hips and thighs until she was creeping back up, up to the place Emma was so clearly aching for. Regina swallowed hard because this was it, this was the moment they both craved so badly, and the moment they could never come back from. Hesitating was futile, she knew, because there was never any way this wasn't going to happen. She wanted it. Emma wanted it. They were both utterly powerless to resist this tonight.

Her hand finally slipped down into wetness and back up again, Emma gasping encouragingly into her neck. No going back now, Regina thought, and it was the most coherent notion to pass through the haze of the fact that not only was she actually about to fuck Emma Swan, but that she _really wanted _to do it.

Regina had had plenty of sex in her life. She'd even had good sex. But it had always been about what she could take, or what could be taken from her. For the first time, she wanted nothing more than to _give. _She wanted to make Emma feel as good as she did in her heart right now, and while the change was terrifying, it wasn't enough to make Regina want to stop. Emma's hips were bucking gently against her fingers and soft pants of encouragement were falling from her lips and there really wasn't anything that could stop Regina from giving this woman what she wanted now.

Two fingers slid in easily, Emma gasping with her head thrown back and fingernails piercing Regina's shoulders. It was entirely unreal, the idea that this amazing creature was writhing with pleasure, riding Regina's own hand. It felt hazy, like a dream, and she forced herself to focus, to be present in this moment right now, loath to forget a single detail.

The fingers inside of Emma tingled pleasantly with each gentle stroke, which was nothing if not odd. The sensation couldn't quite be described as sexual, though it sent tingles down her spine just the same, like someone gently running their nails over her back. If Regina stopped to think she might have recognized it as some sort of magic, but right now it just felt so good, and the weight of Emma Swan settled over her body felt better still, and there wasn't time to stop and think.

Emma thrashed erratically, becoming frantic. She gasped, moaning Regina's name louder and louder and begging her not to stop. As the woman's body finally went rigid, Regina grabbed a fistful of blonde hair, pulling until she could see Emma's face. If this was never going to happen again, Regina didn't want to miss a thing. And now, she was sure the image of Emma's face twisted in ecstasy would be burned into her soul forever.

Catching her breath, a lazy, satisfied grin spread over Emma's lips, filling Regina with a sense of pride at being responsible for that smile.

"That was amazing," Emma gasped.

"Yes," Regina agreed. "It was."

The confused look Emma gave made Regina blush, realizing she had inadvertently confessed more than she'd intended to.

"I haven't even touched you yet," Emma said, sounding more cocky than confused now, leaning in seductively again. "And believe me – when I do, it will blow your mind."

"I think you're all talk," Regina teased at the woman's self-appraisal, making Emma smirk in a way that could only be described as naughty.

"What do you say we make a night of it?" Emma offered, pressing their bodies together. "Take this upstairs, let me _prove_ I can walk the walk a time... or two... or three..."

Regina had to laugh at the brazen confidence, and the fact that, somehow, on Emma it was actually quite charming.

"Ms. Swan, I accept your challenge," she replied playfully, immediately poofing them both into her bed to bypass the awkward naked journey up the stairs.

And Emma did prove herself, quite well, multiple times. Regina reveled in the sensation of Emma's hands and lips exploring her body so thoroughly. Every now and then she would catch herself wishing this never had to end, that tomorrow they could do it all again, and the day after that. But the terms had been set, and Regina forced the longing away, giving as good as she got and enjoying every moment she could.

When at last they couldn't take anymore, Emma shifted to Regina's side, one arm tossed over the woman's abdomen, blonde hair tickling Regina's chin from the head resting on her shoulder. The post-coital cuddling was certainly unexpected but Regina wasn't going to complain. Within minutes, Emma's rhythmic breathing told Regina the girl had fallen asleep in her arms. Knowing she probably hadn't meant to, Regina considered waking her up and sending her back to her own room. Then again, she doubted she'd have another opportunity to hold Emma this way again, so she turned out the light and let sleep take her as well.

In the morning, Emma was gone.

* * *

There really wasn't any tactful way to go about explaining all that to Emma's parents. David was still staring at them, his eyes alternately questioning Emma and accusing Regina, clearly fearing his not-so-little girl had been used, or some such unsavory scenario.

"People get lonely, David," Regina solemnly replied by way of explanation instead.

The look in his eyes softened, and Regina wanted to scream at the sympathy she suddenly saw there. It made her long for the days when these two idiots were her enemies, playing their constant game of cat and mouse instead of them seeing right through all her defenses and looking at her with such _compassion_. She didn't need their pity and she didn't want their "help." She would rather bare her cross alone, lick her wounds and suffer in silence.

"I see." David nodded curtly, then turned to his daughter. "And you're okay with this... arrangement? You're happy?"

"Yeah," Emma said with an earnest smile. "I know it's unconventional, but that seems to be the way things go in this family."

"As long as you are happy and safe, I will support any decision you make," David said, gently grabbing Emma's hand from across the table. "Whatever you need, we're here for you, always."

"Thanks, Dad," Emma said, and Regina heard the telltale hitch in her voice that signaled the waterworks were coming. "I, um," she swallowed hard, gesturing quickly towards the bathroom as she stood to flee, "I'll be right back."

"Did I say something wrong?" David asked, baffled by the quick departure.

"It's just hormones, honey," Snow assured him. "I'll go check on her."

"No," Regina barked a little too defensively. "This happens all the time. She doesn't like to be fussed over; just give her some space."

Snow smiled, placing a hand on Regina's shoulder. "It's really great that Emma has someone like you looking out for her." Regina knew what the woman really meant, but couldn't retaliate without confirming Snow's assumptions and outing herself as being in love with The Charmings' daughter. She was saved by the sound of a tiny wail from upstairs. "And now my _other_ baby is crying," Snow quipped as she stood and excused herself from the room.

Regina tried to catch Henry's eye across the room, hoping maybe _he_ could distract David from considering her so critically. Unfortunately, the boy was completely immersed in his game, and so the awkward silence continued.

"You should tell her," he finally said.

"Tell who what, exactly?" Regina sighed in exasperation, knowing precisely who and what he meant but refusing to play along.

"Emma," David replied with a knowing glint. "You should tell her how you feel."

"And how is it you think I _feel?"_ she asked coldly, though the effect was diluted by her inability to meet his eye.

"You care about her."

"Of course I care about her. She's the mother of my children."

"That's not what I mean. And you know it."

Emma emerged from the bathroom and Regina lowered her voice to a hiss, speaking quickly so Emma wouldn't hear.

"Whatever it is you _think_ you know, you don't. You and your wife would do well to stay out of my personal affairs."

David held up his hands in a subtle gesture of mock surrender just as Emma approached the table.

Regina was sure even her most evil past deeds couldn't have been enough to earn her this torture. She was eternally bound to a woman she wanted more than air but could never have. And now that woman's parents, parents whose happiness Regina had spent decades trying to destroy, not only knew her secret, but were attempting to take an active role in setting her up with their daughter. It was positively ludicrous.

"Regina, I'm exhausted," Emma whimpered, looking very much like she had run out of steam. "I think we should head home."

"Yes," Regina agreed eagerly, more than ready to be freed from this hell. "It is _absolutely_ time for us to leave."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry again for the wait! Perhaps we should just consider monthly updates the standard and call anything faster a bonus? Haha. I actually have begun writing chapter 5, and it's one I've had planned for a while and I'm super excited for it!_

_Reminder that while this story is set post Elsa arc, it does not follow any season 4 canon._

_Your reviews are my crack. Thank you so much for the continued love for this little story, and as always thank you to michaelawaffles for editing!_

* * *

"This stuff is so _expensive_." Emma flipped over a price tag and shoved the garment away, poking halfheartedly through the next rack.

"You could always take your mother's hand-me-downs," Regina jeered, trying not to chortle at the image of Emma dressed like a pregnant housewife.

"Uh, no thanks," Emma replied indignantly. "_Really_ not my style."

It was obvious that Emma was less than thrilled with the task of finding new clothes to fit around her ever-growing baby bump, but at just over 18 weeks she could hardly put it off any longer. Regina had a sneaking suspicion Emma might have tried to make it the entire pregnancy in her existing wardrobe had she not caught the woman that morning, crying quietly over her inability to button her last remaining pair of jeans that 'fit.'

Together they'd found some more forgiving black leggings and one of Emma's old, white beaters, which was slightly less forgiving. The shirt rode up around her midriff and Regina would have said the girl looked absolutely ridiculous if she didn't think she looked so goddamn adorable, pouting over her shrunken clothes with her little pregnant belly peeking out at the bottom.

Despite a few protests for good measure, Emma agreed fairly easily when Regina insisted it was time they get some proper maternity wear, throwing on her tan leather jacket – unzipped, of course – and a flat pair of boots over the dowdy ensemble. Shopping options in Storybrooke were limited at best when it came to fashion, and worse still for an expectant mother. Taking advantage of their unique ability to leave the small town, the two women had quietly crossed the red line and headed into the city.

"I'll pay," Regina said. Emma peered at her curiously. "For the clothes," Regina clarified. "Don't worry about the price."

Emma smiled fondly but shook her head. "You don't have to do that," she insisted. "I just never had to deal with all this when I was pregnant with Henry. They'd give me a roomier set of scrubs and I was good to go."

"Would you like me to get you a prison jumpsuit instead?" Regina asked sardonically.

"Ha-ha." Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Regina. You don't have to get me anything. It's enough that you're here."

Regina thought about the layers to that statement. Here to help, here for support... Here instead of a thousand miles away, while Emma sat alone in a prison cell convincing herself she couldn't be a mother.

She thought about how new this whole experience was for Emma, too. Despite having gone through pregnancy before, it hadn't been like this. She hadn't had anyone to rely on; she hadn't had any hope. There had been no light at the end of the tunnel, only loss. Regina doubted either of them would go back and change things – after all, that past is what brought them to where they were now. But Regina could make sure that Emma never had to feel that way again, and that was something.

"Emma," she lightly grabbed the girl's wrist, beckoning her attention, "she's as much my baby as yours, yet you're the one doing all the heavy lifting. Paying for some clothes is the least I can do. Will you let me do that for you?" Emma finally nodded her agreement with a sappy smile. "Good. And as for being here, I told you that we would do this together, remember? I meant _all_ of it. I promise you, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Green eyes began shining as Emma pursed her lips together tightly, and Regina could not believe she had made this mistake in public. "Oh, heavens," she sighed, glancing around the store as she absently ran a comforting hand over Emma's shoulder. "Do not start that now."

By some miracle, Emma actually managed to pull it together with a deep, shuddering breath just as a tiny blonde sales girl began to close in. "Tanya," her nametag said.

"Can I help you ladies find anything today?" Tanya asked with forced merriment.

"Yeah," Emma replied, rotating her arms around her middle in a wide girth. "We're looking for something in a tent."

"I see," Tanya laughed dutifully. "So you are obviously the mother to be, and this must be your... sister?"

"Dear," Regina scoffed with a condescending quirk of her eyebrow, "do we _look_ like sisters to you?"

Tanya blushed. "N-no, I suppose not," she stumbled as Regina stared at her coldly. "You're a very nice friend to tag along."

The girl's assumptions struck a nerve in Regina. While technically she couldn't correct Tanya regarding their relationship status, she could still let the little chipmunk know how presumptuous she'd been.

"It's my baby," Regina snarled, never breaking her gaze.

"Oh! Forgive me, I–" Tanya sputtered, clearly mortified, though Regina never softened. "I mean, congratulations. To both of you."

"Breathe," Emma chuckled before the girl could give herself a panic attack. "Her bark is worse than her bite."

Tanya sighed a bit in relief and turned her attention towards Emma, though her gaze flittered nervously back to Regina more than once.

"Were you looking for any style in particular?" she asked.

"Do you have anything less... _floral?" _Emma asked, holding up one of the many patterned shirts with a disapproving curl of her lip.

Tanya gave Emma's current attire a once over, then nodded. "I think I can pull some pieces for you, if you ladies would care to meet me in the fitting rooms?"

"Sure, thanks," Emma said with an encouraging smile. The girl wandered off and Emma turned a disapproving side-eye to Regina. "Be _nice_," she chastised.

"I didn't like the way she was speaking to me," Regina deflected with her arms folded across her chest.

"She's just a kid, Regina. She didn't mean any harm," Emma insisted. "Now, come on so we can make sure she doesn't pull out a collection of block print mumus for me."

As it turned out, Regina had to admit Tanya had done a pretty good job pinpointing Emma's style. Plain, fitted tank tops and T-shirts, a few cozy sweaters, even a couple simple dresses. And, of course, jeans. Faded jeans, dark jeans, black jeans. Surely Emma couldn't survive the next few months without her jeans.

"What the _hell_ is this?" Emma grumbled from the fitting room. She thrust the curtain aside, wearing the dark pair of jeans with only her bra. Regina tried not to recognize it as the same one she'd been wearing that night, but she simply could not ignore the way Emma was now bursting out of the cups.

"What?" Regina snapped back, seeing nothing out of the the ordinary.

"_This,_" Emma hissed, snapping the extra band of material around her waist dramatically. Her angry confusion was positively comical, forcing Regina to choke down on the hearty chuckle lodged in her chest.

"They're maternity pants, dear," she explained as seriously as she could. "They have to stay up somehow."

"I look ridiculous!" Emma whined.

"Now, Emma," Regina rose to join her in the fitting room before frustration could turn to tears. "No one but you will ever even see that part," she explained, grabbing a black T-shirt and handing it to the other woman. Emma took the hint and pulled it over her head, Regina tenderly adjusting the hem while Emma freed her luxurious blonde hair from the neckline.

"See?" Regina said, turning Emma towards the mirror and peering over her shoulder. "That doesn't look ridiculous at all. And don't even try to tell me you're not ten times more comfortable than you've been squeezing your ass into those 'jeggings' the past few weeks."

"Fine," Emma grumbled, but there was a hint of a smile there. "You win."

They bought everything Tanya had shown them, at Regina's insistence, as well as better fitting undergarments and a new jacket that could actually zip. Emma wore the jacket and the outfit from the fitting rooms out of the store, stuffing the ill-fitting clothes she'd arrived in into one of the bags.

As they left the shop, Regina found herself disappointed at the prospect of returning home so soon. It was nice to get away, to have Emma all to herself for a few hours. She wasn't ready to share her with all of Storybrooke again just yet.

"Since we're already out," Regina prefaced casually, because she absolutely was not asking Emma on a date, "why don't you let me take you to lunch?"

"Regina, you have to stop spending all this money on me," Emma replied affectionately.

"Oh, it's not for you," Regina jested. "I simply wish to feed my child, and it just so happens I have to go through you to do it."

Emma laughed. "Well, when you put it that way."

"Come on. How often do we get the chance to get out of Storybrooke?" Regina pressed with a playful nudge. "We can pretend to be normal for an hour."

"Normal," Emma snorted. "I don't even know what that word means anymore." She ran a hand over her little belly, and her stomach growled right on cue. "Well," she chuckled, "I suppose another hour couldn't hurt."

* * *

They found a little bistro nearby that wasn't necessarily Regina's taste, but it wasn't awful either, and she figured the relaxed environment would be more comfortable for Emma than something too upscale. Regina was happy enough to be in the other woman's company; she wanted Emma to enjoy the time they spent together, too. The choice of restaurant was a small compromise to make. They sat in a booth with tall backs, offering them a bit of seclusion from the smattering of other patrons.

"Do you think she'll have magic?" Emma asked, pushing her emptied plate aside.

"Given that both of her mothers do," Regina replied, "I'd say it's almost certain."

"Oh boy," Emma sighed. "I'm guessing there isn't a magic baby edition of What to Expect the First Year." She laughed, but Regina could see the nerves her joke attempted to conceal.

"No, there isn't," she said, feeling bold as she reached across the table to take Emma's hand in her own. "But you won't need it. You're going to be a wonderful mother to this baby, Emma. Just as you are to Henry. He adores you, and so will she."

"I just don't want to make a mistake and mess her up for life," Emma confessed, picking sheepishly at the edge of the table. "You did such a good job with Henry."

"And you might recall I also made some rather large mistakes along the way," Regina continued to reassure. "The secret is that no one really knows what they're doing at first. I certainly didn't. You figure it out as you go. And I'll be right there beside you."

"God, Regina," Emma chuckled, misty-eyed again, "If someone told me a year ago that we'd be where we are now, I'd have thought they were crazy. And now... I just don't know what I would do without you."

Her stomach somersaulted and, for a moment, Regina wasn't sure how to respond. It was so close to what she desperately wished to hear, and yet it wasn't at all. So she just smiled, giving Emma's hand a reassuring squeeze as she said, "It's a good thing you won't have to find out," before letting go.

Emma's freed hand moved to caress her belly, as she often did, and they sat in comfortable silence for a long moment. Regina imagined Emma must enjoy being able to allow herself to feel close to this child, having spent her last pregnancy trying to protect herself from getting attached to the son she wasn't going to raise.

"Jesus," Emma mumbled. "She either really liked that dish or she really hated it because she's kicking like _crazy_ right now." She poked a little harder at the bump and then gasped.

"What's the matter?" Regina asked, trying not to worry prematurely and failing.

"Nothing," Emma said with a grin, hopping out of her seat and moving to sit next to Regina on the other side of the booth. Before Regina could voice her confusion over this spontaneous excitement, Emma grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly against her belly. "I think you'll be able to feel her move."

"Really?" Regina asked with restrained excitement. Emma had been feeling the baby move for a while now, but it just hadn't been strong enough for Regina to feel from the outside, and she wanted to very badly. Emma pressed their fingers harder against her, and Regina became nervous. "I don't want to hurt her," she whispered.

"You won't," Emma promised, poking at the other side of her bump. "C'mon, kid," she cooed. "Move for your mom. She wants to meet you, too."

Watching Emma talk to her belly made Regina's heart melt. Of course it was silly, it's not like their daughter was actually listening to anything they said, and Regina would be damned before she let anyone see that she'd gone this soft. But the tender way Emma spoke about her while imagining she was talking to their child made Regina feel ten different shades of mushy and ridiculous.

Before she could get too down on herself for her treacherous emotions, there was a soft thump against her hand. Regina's heart swelled.

"Did you feel that?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Yes," Regina gasped, grinning like that deplorable Cheshire Cat, not caring in the slightest that she might resemble such a creature right now.

So often this child seemed to exist only in the abstract. Just a lump under Emma's clothes, a far away notion that Regina couldn't quite grasp. She suspected it was because she still couldn't really believe she deserved any of this. Sure, things might not be completely ideal, but Regina couldn't imagine there was any act of redemption possible that would have made her worthy of these children – or the good fortune to share them with the woman beside her.

There had been moments of clarity before. Short bursts of time where reality would come crashing over her, and Regina would find herself consumed by the joy, the nerves, the excitement and fear that any expectant parent is wont to feel, though far more intensely as it was all condensed in a single fleeting instant.

When they had been told their baby was a girl, Regina's second child had become real to her. It was the first thing they ever knew about their daughter. When they heard her heartbeat that night in the hospital, suddenly the child wasn't just real, she was alive.

Now, as she felt the gentle kicking against her palm, it all changed again. This baby wasn't just alive. She was _living_. Of course their unborn child still lacked any real degree of intellect or intent in her actions, but that did not change the fact that she no longer existed in the abstract. She was living and moving and doing things of her own accord, unbound by the limits of Regina's imagination. Emma most surely had been teasing when she said Regina wished to meet the baby, yet that is exactly what she felt just happened, and Regina found she was madly in love with her daughter.

Realizing she'd been staring at Emma's stomach an awfully long time, Regina turned her watery gaze upwards to be greeted with a soft smile. There was something more though, something sparkling in those big green eyes. She was sure she recognized it, but it was like deja vu – the feeling of a memory she couldn't quite place. An image of Daniel flashed before her eyes and was gone almost instantly, but it was enough to make Regina's stomach clench and her breath catch, because now she remembered the way his eyes would twinkle right before he kissed her. Just the way Emma's did now.

Her breathing was shallow, and Regina could only stare, because there was no way she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Her palm still rested on Emma's belly, Emma's hand pressed over her own, neither woman moving nor breaking their gaze. The longer she stared, the more Regina began to think that yes, perhaps that look in Emma's eyes was true. Maybe, just maybe, if Regina tried to kiss her, Emma wouldn't recoil.

Regina never would have dared to try, she never would have even considered the possibility for fear of ruining what they had. She couldn't be mistaking that look though, and so tentatively, timidly, she found her shaking voice.

"Emma, I..."

But before any other words could be uttered, an exuberant young man appeared at the side of the booth.

"Can I get you ladies anything else or are you ready for the check?" he chirped. It was their server, a boy named Oliver, and Regina thought to herself that he ought to be glad that her magic was useless outside of Storybrooke, lest she be tempted to roast him alive.

"Check, please," Emma answered politely, turning away from Regina to address him. Oliver nodded and scurried off to retrieve their bill. When Emma turned back, the look was gone, and Regina decided she must have been imagining it after all. "Sorry. What were you going to say?"

_I love you, _Regina thought, heart aching as she stared into those beautiful eyes. Eyes in which she almost could have sworn she'd seen the same sentiment reflected back at her. _I love you so much._

"Nothing," she said instead. "It's not important anymore."

* * *

Henry had been a bit jealous when he heard about their excursion out of town and, after explaining that sometimes parents did do things on their own without their children and that's okay too, his mothers had promised him a family-night dinner out at Granny's later that week.

"So, have you guys thought of any names for my sister yet?" Henry asked excitedly from his seat next to Regina.

"Well," Emma replied from across the table, "I was kind of hoping to name her after my mom, but..."

"I will not have my child named after frozen precipitation," Regina interjected.

"Your mom won't let me," Emma finished with a smirk.

Regina glared. For once, she honestly wasn't trying to be difficult. She just truly thought it was a ridiculous name, and she wouldn't have that for her daughter. They weren't Hollywood celebrities – they could certainly find a nice, normal name for their baby girl.

"Henry, could you pass the ketchup?" Emma asked, unable to wait for the condiment before chomping on one of her fries. Henry peered into the basket at the back of the table.

"There isn't any," he shrugged.

"Damn it," Emma muttered. "I'll be right back."

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Regina asked, mildly concerned and slightly amused as she watched Emma struggle to shimmy her rounded self out of the booth.

"No, no," Emma assured, victoriously rising from the bench. "I got it."

Just as the girl approached the counter and made her request, the bell above the front entrance chimed and in strode the man who was arguably Regina's least favorite person in all of Storybrooke.

"Fancy meeting you here," Hook said to the back of Emma's head, causing her to spin around in alarm. Regina hated to sit back and watch the pirate plague the woman she loved, but Emma was a big girl, and she didn't belong to her. So Regina remained planted rigidly in her seat, listening intently.

Once Emma faced him, gaping in surprise, Hook's eyes fell immediately to her protruding abdomen. "You appear to have rebounded quite well, Swan," he sneered.

"I've done alright," Emma bit back sarcastically.

"Dare I ask who the father might be?" Hook asked, making Regina bristle. It was no business of his, and by the way he spoke it was becoming increasingly apparent that the man was most certainly not sober. "Or will you be raising this one with Regina as well?"

That was all she could take, instructing Henry to remain seated as she rose from her place at the table. Emma's business might be her own, but Regina wouldn't stand to hear this imbecile speaking of their daughter like some illegitimate bastard.

"The child is mine," Regina barked, barely halfway across the room before she began her verbal attack. "Not that it concerns you in the slightest."

"Your Majesty," he replied disdainfully, "I hadn't realized you were here as well. What a... well, I can't say 'pleasant,' but certainly a surprise." Turning back to Emma, he resumed his rambling. "So, you're with Regina now then?"

Just as Regina moved to object to the claim, she was cut short by Emma's alarming reply.

"Yeah," she said defiantly, making Regina's stomach flip in confusion after so many instances of outright denial. "I'm with Regina now, and we're having a baby."

"I should have figured," Hook scoffed. "I always knew there was something between you two. Those looks... No one looks at a friend that way." He turned his attention to Regina. "Hell, I hardly ever saw you, and yet I felt like I was dating you both, what with the way this one yammered on about you all the time."

Regina was shell-shocked. Emma had suggested Hook was jealous of their relationship, but she certainly hadn't thought she meant in this way. She wondered what these looks were that he spoke of, if they were anything like the other day in the bistro. She wondered what it was Emma said about her when she wasn't around. She wondered if anyone other than a drunken pirate felt this way, and she wondered what that could mean.

"I think it's time for you to leave," Regina said firmly, unwilling to allow another moment's disturbance to her loved ones at this drunkard's hand – or hook. "Get some coffee, or go sleep it off. I don't really care. But leave our family alone."

He held up his arms in a sort of mock surrender, the insincerity of it apparent in his face as he backed towards the door. The bell chimed again, and then he was gone. Both women sighed in relief at his departure, though Regina couldn't help but feel slightly irritated by what just transpired.

"Thanks for playing along," Emma said, the dissipation of anxiety obvious in her voice.

"Yes, well," Regina replied sharply, trying not to display the full extent of her vexation, "in the future, I'd prefer some warning before being used as a prop to make your _boyfriend_ jealous."

Emma looked truly affronted by the suggestion.

"_Ex-_boyfriend," she snapped back, clearly pissed off by Regina's attitude. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm in the middle of growing a tiny human that most certainly isn't _his._ And I wasn't trying to make him jealous. I just didn't want him to think I was available." Her brow furrowed deeply and she shook her head. "What the hell's your problem, anyway?"

Regina's problem was that she herself had let jealousy get the best of her. She couldn't help the fear that, despite Emma's rational choice to leave, she might still harbor feelings for that filthy scum of a man. It didn't matter that Emma wasn't hers. It didn't matter that anything Regina felt between them was all make believe. It was a fantasy that she held incredibly dear, and any threat to its existence was shattering.

That didn't mean she was in the right for snapping at Emma, she realized sheepishly.

"Nothing," she replied abysmally. "Let's just go eat."

She tried to brush it off, tried to push past the other woman, but a hand clamping familiarly around her upper arm froze Regina in place.

"No," Emma demanded, though there was a gentleness, a plea to her voice. "I want to know."

She couldn't. There was absolutely no way she could tell Emma the truth. There was no way to explain. There was no way one could describe to the object of their desire that being nothing more than a cover story was enough to rip their very soul in half. Regina didn't know what other honest truth was there to be told, but to confess that her heart broke a little bit more every day.

In short, the truth simply wouldn't suffice. Regina hated lying to Emma, but some truths were best kept unrevealed.

"He's going to spread it all around town that we're a couple," she lied dully.

"You're worried about _gossip_?" Emma sniffed.

"No! I just..." Regina worried a hand through her dark locks. "Things are complicated enough already," she tried to recover. "And explaining this to people yet again will just be... it will be tedious, is all."

"Tedious" was a massive understatement. It would kill her, a thousand times over if that's how many times the story must be told, to renounce Emma as her lover again and again. To declare to the world and to remind herself that the woman she loved so dearly, that her every day revolved around, was not and would not be hers.

The one reaction she didn't expect was Emma's arms enveloping her shoulders and pulling her close.

"I'm sorry, Regina," Emma murmured into her hair. "I know the focus tends to fall on the pregnant lady, but I should be more sensitive to the fact that this is a big deal for you, too." Strong arms around her back and sweet, warm breath against her ear made it hard for Regina to concentrate, but she forced herself to focus. "You've been so good to me, and I want you to know that I appreciate it," the girl continued, "and that I'm so glad to be having this baby with you, no matter how crazy it might seem to anyone else." Emma pulled back then, looking into Regina's eyes as she finished, "I know from experience that you are the perfect mother for any child of mine."

There was a lump forming in Regina's throat, and she swallowed it down hard. She absolutely would not cry in the middle of Granny's diner. Not over a few kind words.

"If you're quite finished being a hopeless sap," she said coolly, as if the sentiments hadn't affected her at all, "I'd like to return to my meal."

"Sure." Emma just smiled, seeing easily past the mask. "Let's go eat."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Woo! Look at that! Less than a month between updates! This chapter, particularly the second part, is pretty much my fave so far. It's a scene/scenario I've been planning ever since deciding to continue this story. So I hope you enjoy it as well, and let me know if you do!_

_As always we thank michaelawaffles for editing, and this time she powered through illness to do it, so double thanks are in order!_

* * *

"We're running late," Regina sighed behind the wheel. "You _know_ how much I hate being late."

The baby was twenty weeks along now, and today they were going in for their second ultrasound. The first had been exciting of course, but both women were anxious to see their daughter as more than a blurry, little kidney bean. In all honesty, Regina hadn't been able to make out the shape Dr. Whale had pointed to as being a baby at all, and was rather disappointed for it.

Of course, they would not being seeing Dr. Whale today, nor for the duration of Emma's pregnancy. Regina vowed he would not be involved after his lewd comments about their relationship, and though Emma thought the woman would eventually calm down and move past it, Regina insisted upon finding someone more suitable.

Which is how they discovered that Ella, also known as Ashley, was now practicing as a midwife. Emma beamed with pride as the girl explained to them that she was inspired to begin training after their experience together. Emma helped her so much, giving her the confidence she needed to be a mother to her daughter, Alex, and to take control of her life. She wanted to be able to do that for other women as well. While Pan's curse interrupted her training in Storybrooke, Ella continued to practice in the Enchanted Forest. As midwifery focused largely on natural birth, it hadn't taken long for her to finish out her modern world training upon their return.

So, of course, they immediately chose her to deliver their baby. However, being a midwife did not qualify her to perform their ultrasound, and so she referred them to Doc. Regina was hesitant – the dwarves were hardly her biggest fans. Lucky for her that Emma was so revered by the people of this town. However much they may or may not still harbor ill feelings towards the Evil Queen, they would never begrudge the Savior anything, especially not something as vital as medical care for her child. So, it was off to Doc they went.

"Why don't you try swallowing a watermelon whole and see how fast _you_ move while it's rolling around on your bladder," Emma retaliated. She had been exceedingly displeased by the instruction to come in with a full bladder, since she "always felt like she had to fucking piss anyway," as she so delicately phrased it.

Emma continued to dance in her seat with a sense of great urgency.

"Would you stop that?" Regina snapped, on edge by their tardiness and finding the spastic movements rather distracting.

"I have to pee _so bad,_" Emma whined without ceasing in the slightest. "I swear to god if he presses too hard with that wand I'm going to piss my pants."

"I told you not to drink so much water," Regain gloated. "You vastly overestimate the size of a bladder."

"Congratulations," Emma hissed. "You fucking win _again_. How's the atmosphere up there on your high horse?"

Oh, she was in a mood today. _Pregnant, _Regina reminded herself. _Hormonal, emotional, uncomfortable. _She loved the girl, but on days like today, Regina wondered why she was such a raging masochist. She prayed that seeing their baby might turn Emma's attitude for the better, though the fact that Regina still wished to be around her even in this state spoke tragic volumes. She was, for lack of a better word, whipped.

"How about we just focus on seeing the baby, yes?" Regina offered, closing the conversation and inviting a tense but preferable silence over the car.

The quiet continued into the exam room, with only brief interludes to check in and find their way. Regina wasn't angry, but she was frustrated, and she didn't want to fight right now.

"I'm sorry," Emma muttered after a while. "I'm just anxious, I guess. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's fine," Regina nodded tersely.

"No," Emma insisted. "It's not."

Regina sighed. "It's not. But I understand, Emma. I don't hold it against you."

Doc came into the room then, but that didn't stop Emma from whispering a quiet, "Thank you," before the man could steal the moment. Dealing with Emma's hormones was definitely trying. But the girl's acknowledgement and attempts to assuage her actions were hard for Regina to deny. It wasn't Emma, she reminded herself. The woman she loved was still there, and soon enough would not fall away to bouts of anger or tears. She just had to be patient.

The dwarf explained that he would take measurements of the baby, and that afterwards they could take a more intimate look at the child's features and determine the sex. They told him that they already knew the baby was a girl, but remained excited for the chance to see their daughter.

He squirted the cold gel into Emma's stomach. She was used to it by now, barely flinching at the contact. When Doc pressed the wand to her belly, they were unexpectedly rewarded within minutes to a perfect profile of their daughter. Graciously, Doc allowed a moment for them to enjoy the image before beginning his task, and Emma's eyes immediately began to glisten.

"Hi, _Ducky_," her voice shook with unrestrained tears, unable to hide the emotion from her words as she reached untouching fingers towards the image on the monitor.

"Ducky?" Regina inquired, completely perplexed by the title. Emma blushed furiously. She clearly hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"It's, um," Emma stuttered. "It's what I call her, in my head. We haven't settled on a name and I just didn't like calling her 'baby.' So, I went with the nickname."

Well, if that wasn't just heart wrenchingly adorable Regina didn't know what was.

"But why 'Ducky?'" she asked again, wanting to be part of this.

"It's stupid," Emma's gaze drifted down to her belly, not wanting to continue the conversation at hand.

"Emma, please," Regina beseeched. "Tell me."

Emma looked at Doc, who continued to pretend he wasn't paying attention and hadn't heard a thing. He would be of no use in this moment, to either of them.

"When we got the first sonogram," Emma began sheepishly, "they labeled her as _'Baby, Swan'... _It just stuck in my head. Baby Swan. Like she was our little duckling." She looked almost guilty and Regina couldn't understand why. "Eventually, 'duckling' became 'Ducky,'" Emma explained. "I couldn't help it."

"Emma," Regina crooned, unsure how else to reply to this affectionate confession. She couldn't say she was a fan of the silly name, but the sentiments behind it made her grin. "That is... it's quite darling, to be honest."

She stroked Emma's hair until the girl smiled and they both turned their attention back to the monitor. Doc began his measurements, pointing out the baby's various limbs, her tiny hands and feet, her steadily beating heart. When he announced that the measurements were complete, all appearing normal, Doc switched on the 3D monitor, which Regina had magicked into town just for this.

And there she was, their baby, their _Ducky, _as Regina insisted she would never call the child. She was pink, and perfect, and real, and so _alive _that neither woman could catch their breath for long, long moments.

"_Ducky," _Emma whispered again, full of so much emotion and longing that it made Regina's throat seize tightly enough that she couldn't possibly form words. "She's going to look like you," Emma whispered.

"How could you possibly think that?" Regina gasped when she found her voice again, equally transfixed by the image on screen. "_Why _would you think that?"

"Are you kidding?" Emma replied. "Regina, who _wouldn't_ want your genes passed on to their kid?"

Regina's heart soared and then buckled, the way it did any time Emma made her feel this way, and she forced herself to remember the truth immediately. Why she couldn't just allow herself a few fleeting minutes of joy Regina honestly didn't know. But she refused to entertain falsehoods that brought her misguided hope.

"She will be the most beautiful little girl in all the realms," Regina replied instead. "No matter what."

Regina knew she herself was an attractive woman, but she was certain she had never seen anything more beautiful than Emma Swan. While a child that resembled herself wasn't an unappealing wish, it was wholly unnecessary. Henry didn't contain a lick of her DNA and their bond of True Love remained as strong as ever. If their daughter resembled her, fine. If she resembled Emma... Regina couldn't help thinking that might be finer still.

"I still hope she looks like you," Emma said again absently.

Regina's heart clenched and unclenched most painfully. _You are the reason she will be beautiful, Emma, _she thought to herself._ She will be perfect, just like you. _

Regina so desperately wished to say it, but she pursed her lips and would not let the words escape.

* * *

Regina heard rather than saw Emma shuffle listlessly into the kitchen after dropping Henry off at school, plopping herself onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar with a heavy sigh. At twenty-four weeks, there was no longer any way she could conceal her ever-growing bump even if she wanted to. Not that they were trying to hide it anymore.

Gossip this rich ripped through a small town faster than a curse cloud. Half the citizens knew the real story and were positively enamoured by the scandal of Snow White's daughter being "knocked up" by the Evil Queen. The other half, thanks to Emma's thoughtlessness and Hook's scornful mouth, believed them to be a blissfully expectant couple, and constantly insisted upon offering their congratulations. Regina corrected the well-wishers the first few times, but it quickly grew tiring and now she simply gave them a begrudging "thank you" and moved on.

Hearing something of a groaning whimper coming from behind her, Regina rolled her eyes.

"Quit huffing and spill it," she demanded as she continued to scrub the dishes in the sink.

"Spill what?" Emma asked innocently. Regina spared an indignant glance over her shoulder before returning to her task.

"You have been stomping around this house for the better part of a week," she replied. "Even Henry has noticed what a grouch you've been lately. So, you either need to get it together or tell me what the problem is."

"Sorry," Emma said. "I've just been, well... frustrated, I guess."

"Frustrated by what?" Regina pressed, pursing her lips as she scrubbed needlessly harder at the plate she was washing. She was somewhat annoyed by the notion, having done absolutely everything in her power to keep the woman happy and comfortable. Hell, Regina would venture that she spent more time focusing on Emma's well-being than her actual job at this point. That it was still apparently dissatisfying was nothing if not vexing.

"I don't want to tell you," Emma muttered.

"Why not?"

"Because it's embarrassing."

"Oh, for goodness sake, Emma," Regina sighed in exasperation, peering at the woman again. "Just tell me already."

Emma dipped her head, staring into her lap until she finally mumbled some sort of reply. Her voice was too low to be heard, and now Regina was becoming frustrated with the task of trying to pry information out of a grown woman. "Speak up, dear."

"I'm fucking _horny,_" Emma wailed, this time much louder than necessary.

The plate in Regina's hand slipped and clattered gracelessly into the sink, making her jump. She gripped the sides of the basin, eyes falling shut as she took a deep cleansing breath through her nose to calm herself. That was far from what she'd expected to hear. She had thought perhaps the girl was craving cookies, or a back rub. Not... _that._

"I... uh," Regina stuttered, hating that she'd been struck speechless by the confession. The mere thought of a lascivious Emma ignited flashes of memory and forbidden fantasies that made it incredibly difficult to focus on forming words. "Can't you just take care of that? I mean... on your own?"

"I tried," Emma shrugged in defeat, "but it's just not the same as, you know," she hesitated, clearly not entirely comfortable with this degree of openness, "as someone else touching you."

Regina rinsed the suds off her hands – buying herself a moment to gain some composure at the knowledge that Emma had been touching herself at night just down the hall – before finally turning around. She wasn't unsympathetic to Emma's plight; she'd done her research and was aware that it was not uncommon for expectant mothers to feel this particular need a little more strongly. But she couldn't begin to think of a helpful or appropriate reply.

Emma's face lit up and "appropriate" quickly went out the window. Regina knew that look, eyes wide and lips parted as the woman gasped at her own genius. Emma Swan had an idea... and that was almost never a good thing. Especially now, because Regina knew _exactly _what it was Emma was thinking.

"Absolutely not," Regina declared adamantly.

"Why?" Emma asked, not even bothering to clarify. "We've done it before."

"And we agreed that it was a one-time thing," Regina reminded her, remaining steadfast.

"Yeah, but now there are extenuating circumstances," Emma argued, pointing to her belly like it was their free pass to debauchery. "It's not like anyone else is going to want to sleep with me right now."

"And at what point, exactly, did I imply that I _do _want to sleep with you?" Regina countered, hands on hips.

Of course, the problem wasn't really that Regina didn't want to be with Emma. She wanted it desperately, thought about it constantly, remembering the sweet taste of her skin and the sight of her face in ecstasy. This, though... this would be dangerous. It would be too easy to start believing the lie.

"Fine," Emma hopped down from her stool, waving her phone in the air. "Maybe I'll just ask _Hook, _then."

"Go ahead," Regina encouraged bitterly. She knew Emma was trying to goad her, and she wouldn't let the woman see the way the very idea caused her blood to boil. "Who am I to stop you from making terrible life choices?"

Emma snorted and puffed indignantly for a while before tossing the mobile device dramatically back down and growling deep in her throat.

"You _know_ I'm not really going to ask him," Emma grumbled, her bluff having been called making the other woman smirk triumphantly. "Come _on, _Regina," she whined with a stomp of her foot.

"Now _that's_ attractive," Regina said dryly, folding her arms across her chest, actually finding some amusement in Emma's childlike begging. "I can hardly keep from ripping my clothes off in the face of your temper tantrum."

Emma sighed, and Regina could see the exact moment the girl changed tactics, hardly subtle as she put on a coy smile and peered up through her thick lashes. Regina knew she was being played like a fiddle, and Emma probably even knew Regina knew, but the worst part of it was that it was actually _working_.

"It's not like I won't reciprocate," Emma dropped her voice to a deep, sultry hum. "And you know that I can."

Regina's heart fluttered, Emma's words igniting an enticing warmth deep in her gut. "That I do," she caved a bit with just a ghost of a smile because, really, there was a part of her that very much wanted to lose this fight.

"So?" Emma asked, letting her sensual expression melt into a soft, hopeful plea that absolutely sealed the deal.

"Very well," Regina sighed, much to Emma's delight. This was beyond foolish of her, but it wasn't as if she was ever really going to deny Emma what she wanted. Somehow, even her petulance was adorably irresistible. Regina turned back to the sink, needing a moment to steel herself against her own feelings. "Just let me finish the dishes first."

* * *

The two stood facing one another, ill at ease with the uncertainty in the room. The bed was just to her left, and Regina couldn't decide if perhaps they ought to begin there, or as they were. Despite having made the agreement to do this, neither woman made a move for quite some time, and the tension grew thicker with every second they waited.

"So," Emma finally said timidly, "I suppose we should just... start?"

"I suppose we should," Regina replied, releasing a heavy breath and trying to maintain an air of composure. She placed her hands gently on Emma's hips, ready to lean in before questioning herself. "Do you want – I mean," she stumbled over her words, "should we kiss?"

Emma shrugged, equally uncertain. "I think it would be more weird if we didn't," she said. "Don't you?"

"You're probably right," Regina agreed, stalling a bit. She'd been aching to taste Emma's lips again for months but, now that the moment presented itself at last, she hesitated. This was never how she imagined it, not even close. Still, a kiss was a kiss, and it was only going to get more awkward the longer she waited. So, softly and purposefully, Regina pressed their lips together.

Her chest constricted at the first contact, but beyond that everything was wrong. Their mouths slid together, all nerves and cold calculation. It felt staged and unnatural, from her side as well, as though they were dutifully performing a task in need of completion. There was none of the fire and need that she felt that night they'd been together. The absence of passion, of any feeling at all, was quickly too much for Regina, and she pulled away.

"Let's just get to it," she sighed, taking a step back to unbutton her blouse. They undressed themselves quickly, without production or fanfare, like stripping down in a ladies' locker room. No teasing, no seduction, just the strict shedding of clothes. Regina wondered if Emma was feeling any more stimulated than she was herself, or if this would all turn out to be a painfully uncomfortable waste of time. But she'd made a promise, and until Emma called quits, Regina would power through.

Down to bras and panties, they lay together on the bed, and Regina braced herself to resume their hollow kissing. Everything about this felt forced and over-thought, but she couldn't turn off her brain because that would leave only her feelings, and she absolutely could not allow them to take the lead.

Determined to make the best of the situation, Regina tried to help things progress by letting one hand trail over Emma's breast before giving a firm squeeze. The sound she received in return was no delighted gasp but more of a pained whimper and she snapped her hand back in horror, propping herself up to gaze down at Emma apologetically.

"It's okay," Emma assured with a small smile. "They're just really tender lately. Maybe try something else?"

"Okay," Regina nodded with another breathy exhale. She leaned back in and began to suck and lick gently at Emma's neck, unable to swallow another empty kiss. She fumbled a bit as she snaked a hand down Emma's body, trying to navigate her way around the added obstacle of a pregnant stomach, but eventually managed to find her way between Emma's thighs.

Continuing to nibble the woman's neck, Regina began to gently massage her over her panties. For a moment, Emma's breathing hitched and Regina thought perhaps the worst of this debacle was behind them, that they were finally on the right track.

But Emma soon fell quiet again, and when at last a loud groan escaped her lips it was unmistakably one of frustration.

"This isn't working!" Emma ground out with dismay. Regina sat back on her heels, equally frustrated, if not more so, at how quickly this whole ordeal had disintegrated into something that was borderline humiliating.

"I am _trying_ my best," she hissed back, slapping her hands against her thighs in resignation.

"It's not you," Emma clarified gently, reaching out to caress Regina's fingers in apology. "I just," she squeaked and, like that, the girl was on the brink of tears. "I don't feel sexy _at_ _all_."

Regina hadn't realized that, as uncomfortable and nervous as she had been, Emma was facing her own insecurities as well. She seemed so bold and sure as she pleaded with Regina in the kitchen. Perhaps it had been the lack of communication and understanding that caused everything to go so awry.

She wanted to fix this for Emma, and not only because the gorgeous creature apparently had no idea how incredible she really was. Regina thought back over the weeks prior, about all the times she'd wanted to tell Emma just that, and how she'd been too afraid. Emma needed to hear it now though, and so Regina set her fears and her pride aside, taking the girl's hand in her own.

"Emma, you are beautiful," she whispered earnestly, praying that her words might be heard not only by this woman's ears but by her heart. It made Regina ache right down to her bones to think that Emma couldn't see it.

Emma smiled a little, but clicked her tongue with a roll of her watery eyes. "I look like a slutty walrus," she argued weakly.

"Not to me," Regina smiled back, placing her free hand affectionately on Emma's belly. "I see a stunning woman whose body is bringing new life into this world. Lest you forget, that is _my_ baby in there. I can't imagine anything sexier than the mother of my children."

"Do you really mean that?" Emma asked, her disbelieving voice soft and small.

Regina grinned, staring straight into Emma's eyes and letting her hand move to caress the rounded form beneath it. "I really do."

Pure joy flooded Emma's face then, unshed tears making her eyes dance in the light. Her gaze never wavered from Regina's as she pushed herself into a sitting position, palm coming to cup the woman's cheek as she drew their faces closer.

"Thank you," Emma whispered shyly, tilting her lips to press them sweetly to Regina's again.

Only this time, it felt right. Regina's stomach seized when she felt the tenderness in the kiss, her heart bursting as it was mutually deepened. They kissed slowly and hungrily for long moments until Regina gently guided them back against the bed, breaking contact only to drop a trail of kisses down Emma's torso to her swollen abdomen. Regina took her time relishing the unique curves of this woman's body, wanting to show her just how very beautiful she always had been, still was, and always would be.

Swiftly ridding the woman of her undergarments, Regina let her mouth fall between Emma's legs, wishing to please her now more than ever. She nipped and suckled at pale thighs, making sure to take her time to consume the flesh she found there. She was eager for more, but didn't want to move too fast, now that they'd finally found their rhythm.

When at last her tongue began to trace long strokes through wet folds, there was no question whether the gasps and whimpers that came from above were ones of pure delight. And quickly – _alarmingly_ quickly – those sounds began to grow louder and louder still, until Emma was crying out and trembling against Regina's mouth with fistfuls of sheets in her hands.

_Well_, Regina thought to herself smugly, _that was easy._

Emma was still panting, trying desperately to catch her breath. "I probably should have mentioned," she wheezed, smirking slightly, "ever since I've been pregnant, I'm super sensitive _down there._"

"That much is certainly clear," Regina replied, running her tongue slowly across her top lip, then the bottom, sucking the remnants of Emma's desire into her mouth.

"Come here," Emma commanded with a wag of her finger. "I want to taste you, too."

There weren't many people – Regina would venture to say there weren't _any_ – besides Emma who could give an order like that and see that Regina might obey. In this moment though, she wanted nothing more than to let Emma have her way, not just because what Emma wanted happened to be exactly what Regina craved.

She crawled up the woman's body, carefully straddling her face. Regina was a bit nervous, being in this position, but a look down at Emma's expression absolved her fears. There was no trepidation, no doubt. Only desire. And so Regina lowered herself down to the waiting lips of the woman she wanted so badly.

She knew instantly that she wouldn't last long. Regina gripped the headboard, constantly torn between slamming her eyes shut as she revelled in the sensations, and forcing them open to see and remember the woman beneath her. No matter what she did though, Emma's name poured out of her mouth with abandon, and when she came it was with the same sweet sound spilling from her lips – _Emma, Emma, Emma._

Her body was still shivering with pleasure as her mind filled again with doubt. But she was here, with Emma, giving and taking pleasure so freely, and it felt so, so right. So much more right than anything had in months. Regina knew, she _knew_ beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was a terrible idea. That she never should have reopened this can of worms, and that if they had any sense at all they would close it up, put it back on the shelf and never speak of it again.

If they had any sense at all.

Instead, Regina slid carefully off the woman's face, leaning in to bring their sticky lips together again as she whispered, "What do you say to another round?"


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Oh yea! Check out that timely update! Okay, maybe not that timely, but compared to other chapters anyway haha. This is my new favorite chapter, and the fabulous michaelawaffles agrees so I'd love to know if you think so too :)_

_Quick note, I sincerely appreciate all reviews, however I do not speak any language besides English, like, at all. So if you leave a review in another language, I'm afraid I am unable to read it without the help of a translator!_

_Alright, that's all, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Regina could hardly keep her eyes off Emma today. Their baby shower was set to begin in just two short hours, and the girl had dressed quite alluringly for the occasion. She donned a simple dress, white with black horizontal stripes, that clung to her body in every location. It sported a deep, scooped neckline, and though it had long sleeves the hemline only hit about mid-thigh, giving the garment a flirtatious edge. It flaunted her supremely round stomach perfectly, which Regina suspected was exactly the point. The past few weeks had seen Emma's confidence and appreciation for her supple new body increase exponentially.

Her hair was curled, not in the meticulous way she wore it upon first arriving in Storybrooke, but in loose, gentle waves. And since Emma's feet were considerably swollen as of late, she opted out of shoes and dressed up her toes with a dark red polish instead. Henry was begrudgingly enlisted to help – swearing his moms to secrecy – since actually reaching her feet was becoming harder for Emma every day.

Pregnancy was definitely agreeing with the woman aesthetically, Regina thought, trying to focus on the vegetable tray she was supposed to be preparing for their impending guests. Emma looked healthy, radiant, and so at peace as she leaned on her elbows over the kitchen counter, tucking one bare foot behind her calf.

The girl merrily dug a baby dill out of the jar of pickles in front of her, putting a slight damper on the impeccable vision as she swirled the snack through a jar of chunky peanut butter and took an exuberant bite. Regina cringed.

"I will _never_ understand how you can eat that," she shuddered at the flavor combination. It had become Emma's go-to treat, and though it horrified Regina to no end, she still made sure to pick up an extra jar of pickles at the store that morning.

"Ducky likes it," Emma shrugged with a little smirk.

Regina never said so, but it irritated her how widespread that nickname had become. Everyone from Henry to Ella was employing the moniker, not to mention Snow's personal variation, 'Little Duck.' It was cute when Emma did it, or even Henry. But from anyone else, it felt a bit too familiar.

What really irked Regina, though, was that she had begun to pick it up as well.

"Well, then it's a good thing Ducky will have _me_ to teach her better taste, quite literally," she teased, poking fun at the odd craving.

Emma just laughed. "I'm serious!" she insisted jovially. "She's going absolutely crazy over them right now."

"Is that so?" Regina arched an eyebrow at the claim.

"Here," Emma said, straightening her stance. She grabbed Regina's hands, placing the woman's palms on either side of her belly and covering them with her own.

It was true, the baby felt like she was practically doing somersaults, and Regina couldn't help but grin. Little Ducky clearly had her Momma's spirit, and Regina wouldn't have it any other way.

Feeling her baby girl kicking and squirming never, ever got old. To feel the tiny life right beneath her very palms was a gift she could hardly describe. Regina so wished to continue enjoying this connection for even just a bit longer, though she didn't want to impose, so she hesitated and swallowed hard.

"Do you mind terribly if–"

"Take your time," Emma cut her off with a smile, never bothering to lift her hands from where they rested over the other woman's. Regina grinned back gratefully, trying not to be too obvious when she sighed in relief. "Thank you, by the way," Emma murmured after a moment, "for this. For today, I mean. I know you didn't really want to."

"It's not that I don't want to have a shower for our baby," Regina amended gently, sliding their hands over the bump when she spoke of the child. "It's that your mother has invited half of this godforsaken town into our home to play a bunch ridiculous baby-themed games and gossip over cheap wine. Not to mention, she is currently busy turning my living room into a damn Barbie Dream House. I've never seen so much _pink_ in my life."

"I know that she's going a bit overboard," Emma soothed, her fingers sneaking up to lightly tickle the backs of Regina's wrists, sparking a wave of goosebumps down the woman's arms, "and that you're frustrated. But we've just got to get through today, and then," she gave a little half smirk and a quick quirk of her brow, dropping her voice low, "I promise I'll make it up to you tonight."

Regina willed away the blush that was spreading up her back. There had been a monumental shift after the day Emma talked Regina into sleeping with her again – and _again_. In fact, they'd been having sex nearly every night for the past month.

Really _hot, sweaty_ sex.

Regina's blush threatened to start anew as she recalled the evening two weeks ago when Emma came home after work, shyly presenting a brand new toy. How amazing it felt to strap it on for the first time, taking Emma from behind as she listened to the girl's strangled cries of, "Oh, _fuck, _Regina... That feels so _fucking good!"_

Sex itself wasn't _really_ the issue. They had an understanding about what they were doing, and they just so happened to be incredibly good at it. Regina mused that perhaps if they'd slept together sooner, their compatibility in the bedroom might have saved them some of their old disdain. And yes, if Regina was being honest, she did get lost in the fantasy more often than not, and every time reality came crashing back it was just as awful as the time before.

Still, what threw her more than anything was _this_.

Emma's touch came easily now, and not only between the sheets. She was tactile, and tenderly so, with featherlight caresses that made Regina's skin tingle. The way she spoke became coquettish, bold, and sometimes even audacious, as she was now. It made Regina's stomach coil tightly, ready to burst from pent up longing.

But it was always just that. Nothing more. As much as it oftentimes felt flirtatious, Emma wasn't exactly known for being modest. Regina figured it was just as likely, if not more so, that the woman had simply rediscovered her brazen confidence, peacocking unapologetically.

Still, on top of that, there were the "sleepovers."

For the first week, they were at it every single night, until there came an evening when Regina was just so exhausted, and Emma's pregnancy was making her feel particularly fatigued as well. By the time Henry went to bed and they made it to Regina's bedroom, flopping down heavily on top of the duvet, it became clear that neither had the stamina that night.

Loathe to turn the girl away after being spoiled by so many nights sleeping beside her, Regina stalled by saying absolutely nothing. In that silence, Emma found her voice, timidly asking if it would be any huge imposition if she stayed. Regina gaped at the unexpected request.

Emma, mistaking the expression as offense, quickly began explaining that it was okay, she understood. That it had just been comforting having someone right there, to not be pregnant and alone with her thoughts – or even her body which, ever since that first trip to the emergency room, she still constantly feared could betray the life held within it.

Fleeing was what Emma did best in moments like these, though the extra effort it now took for her to rise gave Regina the chance to gently capture the girl's wrist before she even made it to her feet.

"Of course you can stay, dear," she said earnestly, and the relief on Emma's face was worth anything.

So it was that Regina's room essentially became "their room," while Emma's served as something like a storage or dressing room. Even the one night Regina had been required to work late into the evening on a town hall emergency, she had returned to find the precious girl curled up, asleep under the blankets they now shared.

She hated how much her heart soared at coming home to something so beautifully domestic.

Regina wondered how long they could get away with pretending this was normal. She wondered if they might go on to justify that the baby's bassinet could only be in one room, and if they were going to take turns getting up at all hours then it would only make sense that they continued to sleep side by side, fingers and thighs accidentally brushing together all through the night.

They were basically an acting couple, aside from the one very important, abhorrently prevalent detail: they weren't. It was an incredibly emotionally confusing position for anyone to be in. Regina thought maybe this should be enough, while simultaneously trying to pinpoint precisely why it wasn't. She had almost everything she could possibly want, save for the words "I love you." She feared perhaps that made her greedy, or ungrateful.

But there was no promise it would last, Regina eventually concluded. No reason to believe it was true, no sense of belonging to one another. She wouldn't trade it for anything less, but she knew it would never be quite enough.

Which is why Emma, staring into her eyes, caressing her arms and coyly promising sexual rewards for dealing with the woman who, in any normal instance, would have been Regina's mother-in-law, caused Regina's throat to swell up and go dry.

Before she barely had a chance to squeak in response, a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Emma, do you guys have any – _Oh!" _Snow exclaimed upon seeing their intimate position. "I'm sorry, am I... interrupting?" she finished, a bit smugly.

Regina wanted to crawl inside herself and disappear just then. She wished Snow wouldn't insist on acting this way, especially in front of Emma. It didn't matter that she was kind of right, and it didn't matter that she was trying to help. She was making Regina want to combust, and that was out of the question.

"_Mom,_" Emma rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Regina just wanted to feel the baby move. It's her kid, too, in case you forgot."

"Trust me, Emma," Snow chortled, "I could never forget."

Baby Neal, secured to his mother's hip, distracted them all from further commentary when he reached his tiny arms out towards Regina, making his mom and sister snicker. Releasing Emma's belly, Regina accepted the boy, poorly feigning exasperation. For reasons she couldn't quite fathom, he had always been quite enamored by her. It seemed Regina was cursed to hold a mutual affection with all of the Charmings' offspring, no matter her desire to fight it.

He looked just like Emma, with his big green eyes, blonde hair and puffy cheeks. She gazed upon her children's tiny uncle, wondering if her baby, too, might inherit some of these features, and which others might come from Regina herself.

"Well, Emma, since Regina seems to have her hands full now, _you_ can come help me," Snow declared, not really asking at all.

"I don't tend to be all that useful, lately," Emma countered.

"Sweetheart, I've been pregnant twice," Snow said. "I'm well are of your limitations... _and _capabilities. Regina must be spoiling you rotten over here," she chided lightly, smirking at the glower she received. Regina decided some time ago that Emma's job was growing the baby. She would take care of the rest. And maybe she liked having an excuse to spoil Emma a little bit.

"Now, come on," Snow persisted. "I just need an extra pair of hands."

With that, Emma was tugged out of the room by her mother, shooting a dramatically woeful look and a smirk over her shoulder before leaving Regina alone with her brother.

Neal babbled happily in her arms, clamping his tiny fist around Regina's necklace and trying to shove the dreamcatcher charm into his mouth. She gazed at him, smiling gently with a heavy sigh as she gave in to her not-so-secret adoration, tickling his little belly until he squealed with delight.

"Your sister," she cooed quietly, in a sing-song voice reserved exclusively for small children, "is the bane of my existence. _Yes she is._" Neal smiled at the pleasant sounds, blissfully unaware of the woman's words. "She is the absolute worst and best thing in the world."

* * *

Regina stood off the the side of the party, feeling incredibly uneasy with the crowd in her living room. She tried to look tall and defiant, though the little toe-headed cherub sleeping on her shoulder, hand resting fearlessly over her heart, made it just about impossible to appear intimidating. If the innocent Charming baby felt safe in her hold, there was hardly a soul who would think they couldn't.

They'd decided on a coed shower, mostly for the sake of Henry and David. That meant all seven dwarfs were in attendance as well, being that the baby was Snow White's second grandchild. Aside from that, the guests were mostly women, several of whom had their own children in tow.

Glancing around the room, Regina's eyes fell to Aurora, her warrior companion seated close by. Even holding the princess's young son, Philip, on her lap, Mulan wore her affections on her face quite plainly. While Regina felt a rare pang of empathy for the woman, she could only pray that she wasn't half so transparent in her own yearning. She assured herself it was doubtful that Mulan had mastered the art of masking such emotions the way she had done.

Ruby and Belle arrived sans any children. Regina contemplated attempting to join their conversation, but decided against it with the excuse of being tied down to the passed-out little boy – whom she had secretly refused to relinquish. Perhaps later, she thought, when her arms couldn't take anymore, she might consider it again. They were relatively tolerable, and she was at least pretty sure they felt the same way about her. Ruby had even cracked a joke at Snow White's expense upon arrival, whispering quietly, "Holy shit, Regina. It looks like a giant Barbie threw up on your living room." Regina had laughed more easily than normal, enjoying the mirrored sentiment.

Emma was seated on the sofa speaking to Ella. The woman's little toddler, Alex, held up a doll, proudly exclaiming, "Baby!" and both women applauded enthusiastically. Regina smiled a little, remembering when Henry first started speaking. His first word was "no." Had she known his biological mother back then, she might have expected as much from her strong willed little boy. Emma caught her eye just in time, offering an apologetic smile from across the room. Regina sent one back to silently assure the girl that she was just fine.

Snow White's youngest was of course still snoring in Regina's arms, while his mother spoke cordially with Blue. Regina narrowed her eyes. She still didn't trust that bitch, and since Tinker Bell was the closest thing she had to a friend – besides Emma – she would continue to hold a grudge on the fairy's behalf for some time.

"It's okay," Tinker Bell said, sliding up to Regina's side. Apparently she wasn't being incredibly subtle with her disdain just then.

"It is _not _okay," Regina insisted. "How can you say that? She took your _wings _for trying to _help_ me_._"

"Except... I _didn't _help you," Tink took a steadying breath and Regina peered at her curiously. Something was certainly off. "Regina, there's something I've been meaning to tell you – or, avoiding telling you, I suppose. I owe you an apology."

"What for?" Regina asked, bewildered.

"I've learned a few things since being back with the fairies," Tinker Bell explained. "And one of those things is that rules exist for a reason. Pixie dust may not lie, but in the wrong hands it can become... unreliable."

Regina frowned and she felt her heartbeat quicken, wondering if the fairy's words meant what she thought they did.

Tinker Bell shook her head and sighed again.

"I had no business taking the pixie dust," she confessed. "If you had gone into that tavern, it would have irreparably diverged you from the path you were meant to be on."

"What are you saying?" Regina asked, silently pleading for the answer she longed to hear. For the answer that would set her free.

"I'm saying Robin Hood is not your soulmate," Tink finally declared. "He's not your happy ending. He never was."

"Oh, thank god," Regina gasped, more exuberantly than she meant to. She hadn't even quite realized how much this was still weighing on her. The terrifying thought that her supposed "soulmate" could choose another over her; that she, too, could find so soon that she loved another so much more. It made her wonder more than once if everything she had now was doomed to come crashing down in favor of that destiny – a destiny she no longer desired. The relief Tinker Bell's words brought was immeasurable.

"I'm so sorry, Regina," Tink said earnestly. "You didn't ruin your life, or his. But I almost did."

Regina contemplated that for a moment, having some experience in ruining lives and in remorse. She still considered the fairy a friend, and she didn't see any need to leave her feeling guilty over what happened so long ago. Regina decided it was best they just put this behind them.

"Well," she finally replied, "I didn't go into the tavern, and you were only trying to help me in a time when no one else would. No harm, no foul."

"You're sure?" Tinker Bell asked, disbelieving, as if she didn't deserve such a pardon.

"I am," Regina nodded. "Just do me one favor?" As much as the invisible tie had plagued Regina in her lack of a relationship with Emma, she could only imagine it must have been quite the strain in carrying on a marriage. They all deserved to finally walk away from this and start clean. "Make sure you tell him, too. It's... a good thing to know."

"I will," Tink promised with a grateful smile, placing a hand briefly on Regina's shoulder as she moved to leave, then stopped. "For what it's worth, I think you found the right path, anyway."

The fairy walked away and Regina couldn't help thinking that if this was her path, it was certainly a winding and treacherous one. While she hoped with all her heart that she was headed in the right direction, she knew now that at least she wasn't headed in the _wrong_ one. That was certainly something.

Looking back at Emma, she found the woman's eyes were already on her, and Regina wondered if she had been watching them the whole time. With a little assistance from Ella she made it to her feet, offering a parting, "Thank you," before waddling across the room to Regina.

Emma strode right up to her, offering no pleasantries before leaning forward to whisper into Regina's ear, "Give the kid to my mom and meet me in the study." She moved away swiftly, disappearing before Regina could question what on earth they should possibly go to the study for.

Still, she handed off the slumbering child to his mother. She couldn't very well just leave the girl waiting and wondering why she never showed.

There was a little ping in the back of her mind that told her she knew exactly what to expect when she entered the room, though she pushed it down. She closed the door, and Regina thought she must be getting too good at lying to herself because she was actually at least a little surprised when Emma immediately crushed their mouths together.

There was absolutely nothing sweeter than the taste of Emma's lips. Nothing more alluring than the insistent pressure of their caress. Regina's body ached to go further, but she gathered her wits and gently pushed the other woman back by her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" she asked, already panting, hating that she was so quickly affected.

Emma stayed close, the soft lick of her breath on Regina's lips making it very difficult to stay rational and collected.

"Let's have a quickie," she replied, voice trembling in an exhilarated sort of way.

"Emma!" Regina gasped. "Are you out of your _mind?_ We have a living room full of guests!"

"I know," Emma smirked, biting her lip.

"_That_ turns you on?" Regina asked incredulously. Sometimes she thought a better question these days would be what _didn't _turn Emma on.

"It's like, forbidden, or something," Emma shrugged. "I don't know. I just... I can't stop thinking about it. Please, Regina?"

There were those big, sad baby doll eyes blinking up at her, and Regina wondered if Emma _knew _that look would get her anything and thus used it deliberately, or if it just came naturally.

"Fine," Regina groaned at herself for giving in so easily. "Turn around and grab the desk."

Emma smashed one more big, grinning kiss over Regina's lips and then eagerly complied. With no time to waste Regina grabbed the fabric around Emma's thighs and yanked it up to her hips.

"Seriously, Emma?" Regina scoffed upon being greeted by the girl's bare ass. "Going commando at your own baby shower?"

"It's a really tight dress!" Emma threw over her shoulder defensively.

"Whatever you say," Regina conceded with a smirk. She had to admit it was kind of hot, running her hand between the woman's legs and feeling the moisture that had already collected there. "I just better not find any little puddles around the house from you getting yourself all worked up."

Emma growled at the lewd joke, and Regina's slowly massaging fingers.

"Just shut up and fuck me," she hissed, "_please._"

Regina chuckled against the back of Emma's neck. "Well, since you asked so nicely..." she replied, punctuating the statement with two fingers sliding deep inside of the woman from behind, eliciting a sharp gasp. Regina immediately stilled her movements. "You can't make _any_ noise, remember," she said, waiting until she received a curt nod of understanding before she finally began working her fingers in earnest.

Emma was very clearly enjoying herself, biting down soft whimpers and low grunts, but soon Regina began to fear this was taking too long. Afterall, it was only a matter of minutes before someone came looking for the guests of honor.

"Bend over a bit more and spread your legs," she commanded, hoping to get a better angle. Emma eagerly did as she was told, and Regina pumped harder, faster, deliberately curling her fingers against the woman's front wall and pressing her thumb tightly over the swollen bundle of nerves.

She grinned wickedly, knowing she'd found just the right spot when Emma's grip on the desk tightened, knuckles paling as desperate gasps of, "_Yes, yes, yes,_" rolled continuously off her tongue. It was only moments before Emma's legs began to shake. Regina secured her free arm around the woman's torso as the waves ripped through her, mindful of Emma's distorted center of balance and certainly not wanting this tryst to end in injury.

"Fuck," Emma sighed when Regina withdrew her fingers, standing up and letting her head loll back on the woman's shoulder. "That was so good."

"I'm glad you're satisfied, dear," Regina breathed against the woman's neck, stealing a last taste of the skin there as she pulled the dress hem back into place. Emma made no move to leave as she worked to catch her breath, and so Regina let a hand come to rest on the woman's bulging abdomen, hoping to perhaps catch some baby-kicks while enjoying the closeness she felt to both Emma and their daughter in this moment.

"She's sleeping," Emma hummed, placing a hand over Regina's and lifting her head. "She'll probably wake up again _just_ in time for bed."

Regina nodded, slowly retracting her hand and placing some needed distance between them. "We should probably get back before–"

"Emma?" Snow threw open the door before Regina could finish. "_There_ you are," she chastised. "I've been looking everywhere for you two! It's time to open presents." She stopped then, a curious frown forming over her eyes. "What are you doing in _here,_ anyway?"

"We, uh," Emma stumbled, "I was feeling hormonal. Regina was... comforting me."

Regina tried not to scoff at the feeble lie. _Comforting_, indeed.

"Is everything alright?" Snow asked worriedly.

"Yep!" Emma chirped with an overly enthusiastic clap of her hands. "Totally good now. I just need to run to the bathroom... You know, to pee. I'll, uh, meet you guys out there." With that she scurried out the door, leaving Regina to cringe at the girl's pitiful cover.

Snow was pinning her with a funny stare that Regina had no desire to inquire about, but when she made to follow Emma's lead the girl's mother did not step aside the way she did for her daughter. Obstructing the only means of escape, she waited until Regina met her eyes with an exasperated glare before speaking.

"Other people might not be able to see it, but I know you, Regina," the woman said forebodeingly. "And she's my daughter. I can see the way you look at her, plain as day."

Regina's heart began to pound, and a lump was forming in her throat, though whether from heartache or frustration she couldn't quite say. Perhaps both.

"And just how is that?" she asked with an air of flat disinterest, keeping her body's physical response concealed.

If Snow's sympathetic, sorrowful expression wasn't enough to make Regina finally crack, her next words most certainly were.

"You look at her like it hurts."

Regina felt her stomach flip. Snow never stopped pushing, it wasn't fair. She _never_ _stopped_. And now she'd caught Regina in her most vulnerable state, when she could still feel the stickiness of Emma's desire on her fingers and the loss of the woman's warmth against her skin. Her chest constricted and it felt as if she truly might explode.

"You really need me to fucking say it?" Regina hissed through her teeth. "Fine. _I love her. _Are you happy now? I love her and it fucking _kills me._" Hot tears sprang to her eyes, unable to stop the words that came bubbling out of her throat. "But she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She gave me my son, and now my daughter, and having her here makes me happier than I've _ever _been. Even when it hurts." She paused, taking in Snow's stunned expression, wondering if the woman didn't actually expect to be right or simply didn't expect Regina to confess.

Snow shook her head dumbly. "Regina, I–"

"No," Regina interrupted, calmer now, though her voice still trembled. "You don't get to speak. You don't get to say anything, _ever. _Do you understand? You _owe me_ that much. You will never breathe a word of this to Emma. Because so help me god, Snow White, if you ruin this for me? I _promise_ you have yet to see the full extent of my wrath."

"I won't say anything, Regina," Snow confirmed with an uncharacteristically meek nod. "I swear."

She held out her hand in a gesture of peace to seal the deal. Regina very nearly made to shake the woman's hand, however begrudgingly, though she recoiled at the last moment, suddenly remembering where her own had just been. That would be much too crude.

"I'll take your word for it," she snapped instead, pushing past the woman at last, and absconding to absolutely anywhere else.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: My deepest, most sincere apologies for the delay on this chapter! Anything that could prevent this update from happening did, be it real life (ew) or just lack of motivation and inspiration. BUT we are back in business! And hopefully the trend will continue!_

_Special thank you as always to michaelawaffles for editing, but double this time because she had to sit with me and sort through said edits for like an hour but it was so incredibly helpful! Also a thank you to chrmdpoet who always keeps it real yet motivating. AND to anyone who continued to express their love and interest during the long wait! It means so much to me! Thank you!_

_Reviews are literally what give me sustenance in life. I am a review vampire. Please feed me so I don't die. LOL! Kidding, hope you enjoy the update!_

* * *

An array of yet unsorted gifts littered the floor and scattered the surfaces of the unfinished nursery. The presents bestowed upon them at their shower were nothing if not predictable. With each package opened, they saw pink... and more pink. Pink dresses and shirts and leggings and bows. Why these people were so intent on pigeonholing her daughter like this, Regina did not understand, and decided she would use her magic to alter the color variety of the child's new wardrobe after the guests had left.

Now, with a wave of her hand, it was done. Regina smiled at the array of mostly purple now spread before her, ranging from bright to pale and light to dark. Purple was as elegant as it was powerful. A much more fitting choice for any little girl of hers.

And then there were the ducks. Regina tried not to groan as they opened package after package of plush ducks, rubber ducks, and duck-patterned onesies. This was exactly why she didn't like that silly nickname, she grumbled internally, conveniently ignoring her own use of it. She did, however, approve of Belle's gift of "The Ugly Duckling" storybook. Literature was always an excellent choice to bestow upon her child.

Yes, Regina thought, her daughter would be empowered, educated, and independent. She would never be diminished to a _thing_, or forgotten like someone's worn out playtoy.

She hadn't worried so much about these things with Henry. After all, she'd come from a very different place with very different values, at least on the surface. Having a daughter of her own brought Regina's years with her mother back into sharp focus – years that culminated into being traded like property to a man in exchange for social status, as if Regina were mere currency.

Emma sidled up beside her, their shoulders gently brushing together for only a moment. Regina shifted her stance, ever so subtly, until the contact was regained, powerless to resist the chance to share even the slightest of touches.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked, her soft voice warm and coaxing.

"My mother," Regina admitted without any hesitation, still surprised by the way this girl could slice through the thickest walls around her heart like soft wax. Emma nodded, hearing in Regina's tone all the unspoken stories she already knew by heart.

"Are you okay?"

Regina decided long ago that she wouldn't let her mother hurt her anymore. She had grown, with the help of her son... and Emma. And, dare she admit, even the Charmings. She would not be Cora. She wouldn't let the memory of Cora frighten her. Regina would simply learn, and provide her own precious girl with all the knowledge and autonomy her life had lacked.

"Yes," Regina replied, taking in the woman beside her. Emma's blonde hair was piled high on top of her head, round belly draped in a white, cotton T-shirt, with soft, black leggings covering her legs above bare feet. Emma's "pregnancy uniform," as Regina had jokingly labeled the favored ensemble. Regina realized she was smiling along with her answer, and she felt confident in their ability to do this, as long as they did it together.

"Good," Emma said, grimacing a bit as she added, "because they're here _early."_

Regina groaned. There had been a sort of peaceful calm between she and the Charmings for several months following the announcement of Emma's pregnancy, one that lasted up until the day of the baby shower. In the month or so that followed, however, Regina developed a distinct lack of pleasure whenever she was forced to spend time with Emma's parents – Snow White in particular.

Of course Emma noticed immediately, inquiring about the sudden shift with wide, worried eyes and her hand resting lightly at the small of Regina's back. Emma pleaded to know whether Snow had offended or hurt her, if she had upset Regina in any way, and swore she would have her back if it was true.

And Regina lied, though it made her stomach churn every time she did; she convinced herself again and again that it was the best thing for everyone and powered through.

"I'm just exhausted," she would say.

It wasn't entirely untrue, though Regina wouldn't kid herself that omission of the truth was any more noble. But she truly was exhausted. From hiding and lying, from wishing and wanting, not to mention the typical stress of expecting and preparing for a new baby. Regina was most certainly, unquestionably exhausted.

Though the truth, of course, was that ever since her foolhardy admission, Regina felt as though she were balancing on the edge of a very steep cliff. She supposed she had been for some time, but now Snow had become the gust of wind that could tip her over the edge, with even just a whisper, and send her careening into the perilous rocks below.

"Hello, ladies," a cheerful voice made Regina's muscles tense, as if bracing for impact. "I hope you don't mind that I'm early," Snow breathlessly huffed without waiting for a reply, placing a squirming baby Neal on the nursery floor. "David needed to run to the hardware store, and that would have been _way_ too long in a car seat for this little prince. Plus, Henry wanted to go with him. I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Oh, yeah," Emma casually waved it off. "That's cool."

Of course, technically Emma was right. Henry was with his grandfather. He was safe, and he was a teenager, and it really wasn't a big deal. Maybe it was the fact that Snow was being presumptuous, as per usual, or maybe it was simply Regina's reinvigorated need to exert her dominance around this woman, but she couldn't just brush it off like that.

"_Actually_, Snow?" she hissed, fangs exposed and ready to strike, delighting in the trepidation she saw in the eyes of her prey – until a tug on the leg of her trousers brought her momentum to a screeching halt. Regina glanced down to find the Charming boy, using her leg for support as he stood on unsteady feet and smiling ever so triumphantly at having pulled himself upright.

Well, that was a new trick.

She recalled a young Henry performing this very same feat, and her heart softened. One day, her daughter too would learn these same essential skills. It was equally hard to imagine her son – now tall enough to look her straight in the eye – had ever been so small, as it was to imagine that the tiny little girl still safe in Emma's belly could ever be so grown.

Neal bounced excitedly as Regina reached down to hoist him into the air, and the child's unabashed squeal of joy sucked the last bit of bluster from her sails.

"You could maybe try _asking _next time," she ended up grumbling, with little conviction and plenty of pout. Emma gave a grin of approval for the scaled-back remark, and Regina simply rolled her eyes and shrugged in response, as if it meant absolutely nothing that she would try to get along with the girl's mother. Regina pretended not to notice when her antics made Emma smile brighter.

"So," Snow gleemed, seeming to see no such need for discretion, "how are _things _with you two?"

The weight upon the word "things" was like a knife against Regina's spine. It made her feel cold and vulnerable, because with one wrong move it could pierce the skin, slice into muscle and bone and take Regina's feet right out from beneath her body.

"Things are _fine_," she gritted back, like a hostage silently pleading the hero not to make it worse.

Snow continued to study her with hard eyes, and in a last, desperate attempt Regina dropped the defenses and pleaded, ever so silently, for Snow to let it go.

"There sure is a lot more purple here than I remember," Snow commented at last, turning a disapproving eye to the plethora of baby clothes. Regina was too relieved for the change of subject to bother being annoyed.

"_Regina_..." Emma chastised when she finally took notice of their child's altered wardrobe, though she really sounded more amused than anything.

"Purple is a good color," Regina proclaimed in defiance. "It's _regal._"

Snow clicked her tongue. "But it's not–"

"Regina's right," Emma cut her mother off, nodding warmly at the mother of her child. "Purple is a good color. It's strong."

Strong and regal. Regina might be the latter but, as far as she was concerned, the former was all Emma. It really was the perfect color for a child that might take after them both.

"_You two,_" Snow muttered under her breath, though she didn't say more as she began folding and placing purple garments into dresser drawers.

Emma tried to help, though her back had been particularly sore lately, muscles unaccustomed to the extra weight they were now forced to endure. Her efforts were likely just to avoid chastisement from her mother, given that Regina rarely ever required she lift a finger. Keeping a close eye on the way Emma's face would contort in clear discomfort, Regina noticed Emma continuously bite her lip to keep from whimpering in pain and decided she'd had enough.

"Sit," Regina ordered, gesturing towards the gliding rocker in the corner of the room.

"I'm fine," Emma tried to insist, but Regina wouldn't hear it.

"You are thirty-three weeks pregnant and pushing yourself to the point of pain," Regina scolded. "That is just plain irresponsible. Now, _sit down_."

Knowing better than to argue, Emma complied with little further opposition. Regina placed the girl's brother in her lap, smiling warmly at the silly faces Emma immediately began to pull, making Neal giggle. It had taken a little time for the woman to really embrace being a big sister, but she certainly loved that boy now. For Regina, as much as Emma might doubt herself, there was no question that she would be a natural when it came to their baby girl.

"I still don't understand why you insist on doing this the hard way." Regina continued her admonishment. "I could have this entire room sorted and painted in minutes."

"You know exactly why," Emma rolled her eyes. "It would be more draining for you to use that much magic alone than it is to do it like this. And since Blue said I should only use magic in moderation until after the baby is born, this is how we have to do it. Besides," she smirked, "it's character building."

"Very well," Regina conceded with a sigh.

She excused herself to change into less restrictive clothing, preparing to pull the weight of both herself and Emma since she'd benched the pregnant woman. Her workout clothes seemed to be the best option, so Regina selected a pair of cropped yoga pants and a dark red sports tank. It was a look she was generally mortified to be seen in by anyone other than Henry – and now occasionally Emma, though she still tried to avoid it around the object of her affection. There wasn't much choice at the moment though, unless Regina was willing to sacrifice pieces of her designer wardrobe to save face. She sighed into the mirror, tying her hair up smoothly at the back of her head before leaving to rejoin the women in the nursery.

"Well, there's a look I've never seen on you before," Snow commented immediately.

"Mom, leave her alone," Emma lamented.

"I'm not mocking!" Snow replied, offended at the prospect of being offensive. "I _wish_ I looked like that in athletic wear."

The bizarre compliment made Regina shift uncomfortably.

"Let's just get to work," she suggested heavy handedly. "Shall we?"

Snow obliged, and together they began organizing toys and clothes into their various homes. There was little discussion between them save for comments regarding the baby's things, mostly thanks to Regina's refusal to elaborate on any given topic the woman might bring up. She knew all too well just what was on Snow White's mind. She could feel it lingering around them, waiting for its chance to break free. Regina imagined the woman as a vessel physically incapable of containing secrets for any length of time.

"The hair off your face looks nice too," Snow blurted out awkwardly again, earning herself a disparaging glare. "Don't you think so, Emma?"

There it was, Regina's sacred truth bubbling dangerously to the surface once again. Snow barely made it twenty minutes.

"Of course," Emma replied like it was a given. "Regina always looks great."

"Thanks, I..." Regina replied distractedly, still always slightly taken aback at such compliments coming from Emma. She also felt incredibly awkward at being the center of this conversation, knowing it was another of Snow's ill-fated attempts at forcing their hands. "I'm going to grab a glass of water," she said at last, needing a moment away to gather her wits again. "Emma, would you like one?"

Regina barely waited for the nod of confirmation before she spun around and absconded for the kitchen.

A bottle of Merlot greeted her from its place on the counter as Regina made to grab the water glasses. She gave it a longing glance, thinking she'd much rather a glass or two of wine right about now. Unfortunately, it was much too early in the day to start drinking, and drowning her discomforts away was hardly an appropriate solution. So, she filled the glasses with ice and water as planned and ruefully carried them back up the stairs.

Soft carpet under her feet silenced Regina's foot falls as she made her way back down the hall, and soon she could make out the sound of Emma and her mother's voices. Their tones were hushed but firm, and Regina felt her stomach flip instinctually.

"Of _course_ I think she's attractive," she heard Emma hiss. "I slept with her, did I?"

Regina's blood ran cold. Somehow, she knew this was not a conversation she wanted to overhear, and yet her feet had stopped moving. She held her breath, and the only sound coming from the quiet hallway was the gentle clattering of ice against glass in her trembling hands.

"Obviously not something I like to think about," Snow replied with an audible grimace. "But I just don't understand. You don't even want to _consider_ getting romantically involved the mother of your children?"

Hot fear spread out from Regina's chest and washed over her entire being. It was the very question she asked herself, day in and day out, wondering if Emma had ever or could ever see her that way. But she didn't want the answer now. Not eavesdropping in the hallway while her hands trembled with dread.

"It's just not like that between us," she heard Emma insist. "Obviously we care about each other, but taking our relationship to that level just isn't something either of us want."

A cold hollowness seeped through her body into her bones, and Regina was sure she had never felt this empty. Her legs felt like bags of sand as she dragged them across the floor towards the nursery, but she couldn't bear to hear another word, and so she pushed herself into the doorway, clearing her throat to make her presence known.

"Here's your water," she said robotically, unable to make eye contact with either woman. She didn't want to be here any more. She just wanted to be alone, to curl up and disappear for awhile. Emma thanked her as she accepted the glass and Regina made the mistake of looking at the girl's face, smiling up at her so brightly.

In that moment, Regina was certain she felt something inside of her break. That smile had always made her feel warm, but now her stomach twisted in anguish. That smile wasn't Regina's, and neither was Emma. She never would be.

Both Snow and Emma looked at Regina curiously. There was a hard lump in the back of her throat that simply wouldn't be swallowed down, threatening to betray her brittle facade.

"You know," Regina said, smiling too broadly and hoping they didn't notice the way her voice wavered, "I think I'd like a slice of lemon."

It was a lame excuse, but it was all Regina had at the moment. There wasn't time to see if the women bought her lie because if she didn't turn around and leave right that second, the tears would spring forth of their own will.

She had no intentions of returning to the kitchen, instead heading the opposite direction towards her own room. The bed was made up haphazardly, cleary Emma's work, and Regina couldn't bear to look at the place where she'd held the woman she loved in her arms for so many nights. She quickly bypassed it, locking herself in the master bath and falling back hard against the door. Her hand clamped tightly over her mouth as she tried to silence the anguished sob that filled her chest.

Slowly sliding down to the floor, Regina brought her knees up to her chest and finally just let the tears come. It shouldn't hurt, she told herself. It shouldn't hurt at all, because she knew better. Emma never felt for her what Regina felt for that beautiful, doe-eyed idiot, and Regina _knew_ that. She had always known that.

Still, she had hoped. Against all logic or reason, she found hope in the small touches, the easy conversation, and the way Emma would sometimes look at her in that same adoring way she looked at their son.

She'd been fooling herself. The illusion was shattered, and now she faced the consequences of clinging to hope so irresponsibly. But she needed to pull it together. This wasn't her first heartbreak, Regina reminded herself, forcing her wobbly legs to stand. It certainly wouldn't be the first time she was forced to wear a mask. Regina grabbed a washcloth and dampened it with cool water to soothe her swollen eyes.

Drying her cheeks, she allowed her disguise to fall into place. It did nothing to settle the ache within, but the woman in the mirror looking back at her appeared collected as ever.

For a moment.

All it took was a soft knock on the door before even Regina could see in her own reflection how her eyes belied all pretense.

"Regina?" Emma called from the other side. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course, dear," Regina replied, ignoring the twist in her gut at the sound of the girl's voice. "Just freshening up."

She had also once found hope in the way it felt to kiss Emma's lips, Regina recalled most inconveniently. The tender way they would meld into one another, like rotating gears interlocking in perfect sequence, over and over again. She hadn't imagined that feeling, she couldn't have. Still, there was now that niggling sense of doubt hanging over her, over everything, and she just had to know.

Yanking the door open a bit too urgently, she found Emma still rooted outside, clearly never having any intention of leaving until Regina showed herself. Her brow was furrowed, head tilted like a confused little puppy, and the sight was both heartwarming in its concern and adorable because it was Emma.

Grabbing the pregnant woman's wrist, Regina pulled her into the bathroom, not too hard, and shut the door behind them. The obvious question, poised and ready to spill from Emma's lips, was swallowed up as Regina cupped apple cheeks softly in her hands and kissed the words away.

The kiss was as gentle as it was desperate, with yearning tongues and hands that instinctively pulled tighter. Emma was kissing her back, kissing her like she wanted it the way Regina did. It still felt right, it felt so _real, _and Regina wasn't sure why right now that hurt so much more.

"What are you doing?" Emma finally pulled away, and if her words were meant to be chastising they certainly didn't sound it, not when her breathing was ragged and her face so close. "My mom and brother are here."

"You certainly weren't worried about _that _during our baby shower," Regina scoffed, still holding Emma so close, like she was afraid that letting her go now would mean forever.

"Yeah," Emma replied, rolling her eyes a little, "but there were other people there to keep her occupied then, and we _still _almost got caught." She leaned back slightly, frowning again as she tried to read swimming brown eyes. "What's going on with you, Regina?"

"You're not the only one with needs," the woman said simply, trying to sound hard and indifferent. Trying to sound like it meant nothing at all.

"I know that," Emma agreed. "But you're never like this. You've never... you know..." she trailed off, but Regina knew what she meant. It was always Emma that initiated. Regina never had the nerve to presume when the other woman would or would not appreciate her affections, so she waited, always waited, for Emma to make a move.

Regina didn't reply, simply traced the pattern of her tiled floor with her eyes, until she felt warm palms skim down her arms and Emma's fingers finding their way between her own. She looked up then, a little embarrassed at her momentary lapse, and those soft, forgiving eyes broke her heart all over again.

"Are you _sure _everything's okay?" Emma asked again, staring far too deep into Regina's soul for comfort.

"It's nothing," Regina insisted, feeling ridiculous and wearing a smile that certainly wasn't fooling anyone, least of all Emma. "We should get back."

She pulled her hands away as though Emma's might burn her, stepping around the girl and walking off. Regina felt like an imbecile for doing so, and she could just imagine the poor, perplexed face of her sweet girl. But if she allowed Emma time to reply, to ask the questions she could see formulating in those saucer eyes, Regina was sure she would break.

She wouldn't do that to Emma. She wouldn't dare make Emma handle the burden of not returning her feelings. She would do it alone.

* * *

Many, tedious hours later, the nursery was furnished, sorted, and painted. All that remained was to push the furniture back into place once the paint had dried – purple and white walls, upon which she and Emma had easily agreed. Coupled with dark brown furniture and a silhouetted design of forestry on the wall opposite their baby's crib, Regina had to admit it was absolutely perfect.

Now, however, she was exhausted. The day had been both physically taxing and emotionally draining, and while part of her wanted nothing more than to spend just one night alone to lick her wounds, the thought of sleeping without Emma by her side was somehow more awful. But that didn't mean she wanted to talk, and so when the girl climbed in behind her, Regina remained motionless, though not really feigning sleep since her eyes refused to close and allow her the solace of slumber.

She should have known her own body would hardly be the worst obstacle tonight. She could feel Emma shifting closer and closer still, a hand on her hip, and lips on the back of her neck. And it felt _good. _It felt so good, just like it did every time Emma touched her, whether innocently or provocatively, Emma's proximity was everything and more.

It was too much right now, however. She wanted it so badly, yet didn't have enough to give in return.

"Not tonight, dear," she managed to say without straining, gently patting the girl's wandering hand.

"Regina, seriously, what's going on? " Emma beckoned, propping up on her elbow. "You were sure ready to go a couple of hours ago."

There wasn't any way Regina could tell her that her heart was simply too heavy tonight. That every bone in her body felt as though it were made of concrete, begging her to just lay still.

"I'm just tired, Emma."

Regina cringed. Another lie. But she needed some emotional space, even if the woman was still physically right beside her. "I'll take care of it tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," Emma whispered back, clearly not assuaged but knowing now was not the time to push. What Regina didn't expect was a final soft, lingering kiss at the base of her neck, nor Emma whispering, "I hope you know you can talk to me. About anything."

Regina's stomach somersaulted again at the pleading offer, feeling the body behind her shift laboriously until Emma was lying so they were back-to-back, knowing that was the most comfortable position for the woman and her protruding belly. Most nights, Regina would have moulded to her from behind, falling asleep to the gentle tapping of baby feet kicking against her palm.

But not tonight.

There was silence in the room for many long minutes, and Regina wasn't sure if Emma had fallen asleep or not. She hated that they'd gone to bed this way.

"I'm sorry, Emma," she finally whispered into the darkness.

But there was no reply.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this! Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter and feel somewhat soothed from post-finale blues lol. As always, mucho love to michaelawaffles for editing, especially with her busy schedule! Not much else to preface with this time around, but I would really very much love to know how people feel after this chapter in particular if you have a moment to spare!_

* * *

"Are you and Ma fighting or something?" Henry asked abruptly from the other side of their booth at Granny's. He had recently deemed himself much too old to be referring to his other mother as "Momma," as he once called her. He was soon to be a big brother, after all, and as such felt it was time he start being more mature. Regina still did her best to ensure that he knew he would always be her little boy, and that the new baby would never, ever change his role in her life, or Emma's.

"Of course not, dear," she replied with a frown, unsure what would have prompted such a question. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Henry shrugged. "You both just seem really quiet and, like, sad the last couple weeks."

Her son always was far too perceptive of her emotions, and Regina felt a bit guilty that he'd picked up on her recent self-loathing. She didn't want to burden him anymore than she did Emma. The fact that he identified both of his mothers as acting peculiar made Regina worry her attitude was having a negative impact on the object of her affection as well.

The only thing Regina wanted was to make Emma happy. Her family's happiness was all that truly mattered to her anymore – not even her own happy ending could be placed before that of Emma's and their children's. To think that she was doing the opposite was intolerable.

"Everyone is quite stressed," she said with a gentle smile that disguised her distress well. "Your sister will be here in a matter of weeks, and there is much to do. But Emma and I will be fine, and we love you very much. Try not to worry yourself."

Henry eyed her skeptically, and Regina knew better than to think that her words would be enough to completely discount what he felt in his gut. After all he was, sometimes infuriatingly, Emma's son. Still, the boy was gracious enough to let it go with a "whatever you say," shake of his head.

"Any closer to a name?" he asked in a merciful change of topic.

"We are still discussing it," Regina sighed. She and Emma both felt it was important their daughter's name be meaningful, though they couldn't seem to agree on how to go about that. Where one wouldn't like the name, the other would disapprove of the namesake. It was a constant game of back and forth, one Regina had come very close to losing more than once thanks to her constant need to give Emma whatever she desired. The child's name was too important though, and, at the end of the day, Regina knew that Emma would not approve of Regina settling on her behalf.

Henry shrugged. "At this point I'm probably going to end up just calling her 'Ducky' forever, anyway."

"Don't you dare," Regina ordered firmly, with a very demanding point of her finger. "She will have a perfectly lovely, perfectly suited name of her own, and I will be sure she is called by it if it is the last thing I do."

"Chill, Mom," Henry said, laughing a little and clearly not phased in the least. "Your threats have gotten a little lame."

Oh, how right he was, Regina thought. From destroying happiness to ensuring the name of her child was properly utilized. She wondered what the hell falling in love with Emma Swan had done to her.

Soft, Regina sighed. She had gone soft. The worst part was that she couldn't quite seem to care. At least Henry most certainly didn't see any trace of the Evil Queen in her anymore, not if he was joking about it. Maybe Emma had been the best thing to happen to all of them.

"Is there anything else you're concerned about?" Regina asked. "Thirteen years is a long time to be an only child. You know you can tell us anything."

"I'm not worried, Mom," Henry laughed. "You and Ma both broke curses by giving me True Love's Kiss. What could I be worried about?" His confidence was entirely reassuring for Regina. She loved her baby girl. She couldn't wait to meet her, to raise her and love her. But Henry would always be the child that made her a mother. Her son. As long as he knew that, she could rest easy. "I just want to be the best big brother I can. I mean, growing up with a bunch of fairy tale characters isn't exactly typical. She'll need someone to show her the ropes."

Regina beamed at Henry's selfless love for his baby sister, for a little girl he had never met yet cherished unconditionally. Emma's son, she thought again, this time with zero aggravation. This was precisely why she loved him – and her. Henry and Emma had the most incredible hearts she had ever known.

"Hey, Grandma!" he exclaimed, making Regina groan before she even turned around. She'd managed to avoid Snow White for the better part of the past two weeks, and she had hoped to keep the trend going for as long as possible. Apparently, her luck had just run out.

Snow and Henry engaged in a moment of small talk about school and girls and various random interests, oddly typical for a grandmother and grandson despite Snow's atypical age for such a thing. Unlike Regina, he still saw the woman frequently, almost daily, so all topics were covered disappointingly quickly.

"Henry," Snow implored, "would you mind giving me just a moment alone with your mom?"

"Sure thing, Grams," Henry replied, completely missing his mother's silent plea for him not to leave as he trotted off to the counter for free snacks and a chat from Ruby.

Snow slid into the space he had vacated, brimming with so much excitement Regina imagined she could easily pop the woman like a balloon.

"What?" Regina barked, in absolutely no mood for Snow or anything she might have to say being an interruption to her dinner with Henry.

"How are things with Emma?" the woman inquired, as naive as the day Regina met her.

"They would be better if you could have kept your mouth shut," Regina spit, holding back all the truly malicious and soul crushing words she wished to say to the woman she felt had once again shattered her very world.

"What do you mean?" Snow implored, the elation crumbling from her face. "I promised I wouldn't tell your secret, Regina. I broke that promise once before and I would never do it again."

Not intentionally, Regina mused, thinking it must just be a part of this woman's nature. She could drag this out, make the Snow suffer and wonder what she's done, but Emma's voice in the back of her head beseeched her not to.

"I heard you two talking," Regina replied instead, staring down at her arms folded neatly on the tabletop. "That day in the nursery. I heard what Emma said."

Snow looked stricken by the thought.

"Regina," she said, voice dripping with too much sympathy, "you can't possibly think she meant that."

"Can't I?" Regina sneered, irked by the sensation that she was being placated. "_Enlighten me_."

"I told you that I see the way you look at her, like it's tearing you apart," Snow replied evenly. "What you don't see is the way _she_ looks at _you_."

Regina scoffed. As if she would miss something so obvious, something blatantly offering the hope she so desperately sought any trace of. She may have her masochistic tendencies, but this kind of heartache was that which no one would ever willingly endure. She wouldn't have missed something that might ease her suffering to any degree.

"I'm pretty sure I can see Emma when she looks at me," Regina said with a condescending lilt, "and she most certainly doesn't look torn apart."

"Of course she doesn't," Snow agreed, waving her hand to dismiss the notion. She grinned, as if preparing to lay down her hand and change the entire game. "She looks at you like the world was crumbling down and you put it back together."

An unwelcome ache twisted Regina's heart at the thought, lighting a spark of hope even as she desperately tried to stomp it out. She heard what Emma said. Regina might not be a human lie detector, but she had _heard, _loud and clear. Giving in to Snow's whimsical ideas would only hurt her again.

"That's absurd," Regina insisted, hoping the other woman hadn't caught the slight crack in her voice. "I would have noticed."

"I'm honestly not surprised that you haven't," Snow nodded to herself, carrying on as if speaking about as something as obvious as the weather. "I mean, you don't see her in the moments before you walk into a room. If you could just see the way her face lights up the moment she lays eyes on you."

The spark caught fire then, just for a moment, but Regina refused to let it consume her. Snow had no place forcing her to reignite these feelings. They were Regina's alone, and if she wished to bury them under wet, dirty leaves, that was her right. But, try as she might, she still felt that burn in her chest. If she couldn't stop it, she would let the flames fuel her anger instead.

"Why are you so invested in this?" she hissed. "Why couldn't you just mind your own business for once? Things might not have been perfect, but we were _fine_. "

"She's my daughter," Snow said, quite serious now. "That light? I want to see it in Emma's eyes every moment of every day. And, believe it or not, I want that for you, too." She paused, considering Regina with a thoughtful shake of her head. "Why can't you see that you make her _so_ _happy_?"

If only that were true, Regina thought, her son's words from only minutes before still echoing through her ears. She wanted to believe Snow more than anything, but to even entertain the notion would surely be emotional suicide. Her throat constricted, warning her of the traitorous tears that threatened to make themselves known. She couldn't listen to this anymore.

"If you're quite finished," Regina demurely ignored the woman's final remark, waving her son back over, "Henry has homework that must still be attend to before bed. I'm sure you understand."

She rose from the booth, pretending not to notice Snow's perplexed frown at the blatant dismissal. Regina slipped determinedly into her coat, ushering Henry ahead of her when he appeared at her side and hastily making to follow. Something still tugged at the back of her mind and, instead of making her exit, Regina found herself turning around one last time.

"You think you see so much," she sighed. "But believe me, you don't see everything."

* * *

Staring into the quiet darkness of her bedroom, Regina was left restless, trying to stop Snow's ridiculous hope speech from taking hold in her heart. She knew Emma lay awake behind her as well, thoroughly accustomed to the usual sound of the girl's steady breathing as she slept, but hearing only the occasion huff and grumble now. Still, Regina feigned slumber. If Emma knew she was awake, she would know something was wrong, and Regina didn't know how to talk about what she was feeling right now.

The bed shifted, and Regina heard Emma rise and waddle off to the bathroom for the fourth time in what had to be less than forty minutes. It wasn't long before she returned, though this time as she lay down a distinct sniffle permeated the quiet. Regina knew that sound all too well after so many months, and she simply could not ignore it.

"Emma?" she gently called over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma said quickly, startled by Regina's voice. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I was already awake," Regina assured, shifting into a sitting position. "Tell me what's going on. Let me help."

"You can't!" Emma sobbed, tears falling freely as she lost her power to hold them in. "She's sitting right on my bladder. I feel like I have to pee so fucking bad, it's like I'm literally about to wet the bed! But every time I go to the bathroom – nothing. Then I lay down and it starts all over again. I just want my body back. I need to have this baby already!"

"Shh, calm down," Regina said with definite expertise at tending to midnight anguish. "We just need to get her to shift to a better position, alright?"

Thankful that she'd taken the time to research nearly every possible aspect of pregnancy and its effects on both mother and child, Regina instructed the woman onto her hands and knees, explaining that it should help relieve some of the pressure.

Emma did as she was told, but the waterworks failed to cease.

"I'm so sorry, Regina," she snuffled pitifully. "I didn't want to bother you with any of this."

"There's no need to be sorry, dear," Regina replied, slightly flummoxed by the woeful apology, though a pang of guilt told her she knew where it was coming from. "You're not a bother. This is what I'm here for."

"Then why have you been acting so weird lately?" Emma whimpered, the dam finally breaking as a rush of emotions came flooding out. "I feel like you don't even like me anymore and I have no idea what I did wrong!"

So much for making her happy, Regina morosely chastised herself. Sure, Emma was hormonal, and sleep deprived, and emotional. Perhaps if not for those factors, the woman wouldn't be nearly so distraught. Pre-pregnancy Emma wouldn't have been caught dead sobbing in the middle of the night like this, and Regina was certain mentioning these tearful incidents would be forbidden once the baby was born. But, right now, Emma _was _hormonal and exhausted, and she was crying because of Regina and there was no one else to blame.

"Nothing, Emma," Regina said, heart heavy over her role in this woman's distress. She tenderly ran a hand through mussed golden hair, a gesture of affection she had withheld for far too long. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. I've just been..." she grappled for the words to explain, words that might offer some comfort without any more blatant lies. "I've been lost in my own head. But I'm going to do better, I promise."

Emma nodded, head twisted awkwardly towards Regina thanks to her quadruped position. As the girl's breathing mellowed and the tears began to subside, Regina vowed she would be damned before ever being the cause of this woman's tears again.

"I hate being pregnant," Emma whined. "I mean, yeah, it's awesome and the 'miracle of life' and all that stuff, but no one ever talks about the shitty parts – I am _always_ tired, literally _everything_ hurts, and I am so _goddamn sick_ of peeing a hundred times a day!" She huffed indignantly. "I swear to god, if we end up with _any_ more kids, you better be the one to do it next time."

"I can't do it, actually," Regina said, just a little wistfully. Emma turned to her with a frown, and Regina realized that they had never actually discussed this. "I can't get pregnant."

Emma's face twisted into a combination of sympathy and shame.

"Shit, Regina," she grumbled. "I'm an idiot. Seriously, I had no idea. How come you never told me that before?"

"Honestly, it's been some time since I thought about it," Regina said, mildly surprised herself. There was a time when it had been quite painful to speak about, but now that pain felt so much more distant than it ever did before. "Thanks to you, I still get to be a mother twice over. What body they came from is really quite irrelevant. Besides," she smirked at the woman still positioned on her hands and knees, raising her eyebrows in a comically dramatic fashion, "from what I hear, pregnancy doesn't really sound all that appealing, anyway."

Finally, Emma cracked a smile, a _real_ smile, thanks to Regina's teasing remark. It swept across her face like a sunbeam until her eyes shone with joy and relief that had been absent for far too many days.

_She looks at you like the world was crumbling down and you put it back together._

Don't even think it, Regina warned herself. So what if she was the one to put that beautiful smile on Emma's face? It didn't mean anything, even if Regina would do absolutely whatever it took to keep it there from now on.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked with a nod towards Emma's bulging stomach.

"I think so," Emma replied, easing back down on her haunches. "Yeah, much better. Thank you, Regina."

She wasn't sure she deserved the gratitude, not when she'd been so neglectful lately and, quite frankly, part of the cause. But things were better again, and Regina would make sure they stayed that way.

"It's nothing, dear," she said with an assuring smile.

"Well, it's something to me," Emma shrugged, turning to lay down again on her comfortable side, with her back facing her bed companion. For a moment, Regina thought that was the end of it and settled in to resume trying vainly for sleep, until Emma's voice found her ears again.

"Do you want to feel the baby?" she asked, sounding almost shy at proposing the sleeping position that had, until only recently, become the norm. "She's really active tonight."

A part of Regina thought perhaps it was unwise to fall back into such easy habits, but the truth was she _missed _Emma. They may never have ceased to share a roof, a dinner table, or even a bed, yet it felt as though she'd been somewhere else entirely these past two weeks. All Regina wanted was to once again feel Emma's body against her own, and their daughter thumping against her palm.

"Yes, very much," she replied, sliding into place and rediscovering her perfect fit around Emma's curves. Her hand found its home on the girl's stomach, already protruding noticeably farther than the last time they'd done this. Regina couldn't help but smile as soft fingers covered her own at just the same moment she felt the baby kick.

This, right here, was absolute heaven.

Feeling utterly content for the first time in weeks, Regina found herself beginning to doze off almost immediately.

"Regina?" Emma whispered after several quiet moments.

"Hm?" Regina mumbled back sleepily.

"I can have more kids," Emma said tentatively. "If you want them, I mean. I could do it again."

Regina chuckled against the smooth skin of Emma's back, too wrapped up in her pleasant cocoon to acknowledge the absurdity of ever actually _planning_ to expand their family when they weren't even a couple.

"That's very noble of you, dear," she replied affectionately. "But why don't we just focus on getting this one out here first."

"Okay," Emma conceded, shifting back just a little bit more into the warmth of the body behind her. "Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."

* * *

Things returned to normal after that, for the most part. Regina resumed her doting on Emma's every need, Emma stopped pretending she didn't need the help, and they were having sex again regularly, if not perhaps a bit more so.

One very noticeable difference was in Emma. She wasn't just happy again, she was downright giddy most of the time – aside from her grievance with taking early maternity leave, at both David and Regina's insistence – and more affectionate than Regina could ever recall.

It was a blessing and, of course, a curse.

"What's for dinner?" Emma would ask, peering over Regina's shoulder and causing a shiver to run down her spine when the woman's fingernails scraped gently over her back. Warm breath rushed over Regina's skin when Emma turned to hum into her ear, "It smells delicious," with her body still pressed close. It was all Regina could do in those moments to resist spinning around to take the girl into her arms, to bury her nose into blonde hair and whisper back, "Not as delicious as you," before allowing herself a taste of that tantalizingly sweet skin she craved.

She'd almost slipped more than once.

When Emma wanted to get her attention, it was no longer with a poke or a tap, but a gentle grasp of her hand. Her hold never faltered as she spoke excitedly of whatever benign bit of news she'd found to share, and Regina would find herself grinning as if she'd won the lottery, listening with rapt attention while Emma toyed absently with her fingers like she was memorizing their every bend. Regina wanted nothing more than to lock their hands together and yank the adorable creature in for a kiss that, for once, wasn't a bookend to taking off their clothes but simply just for the absolute pleasure of the act itself.

Movie nights with Henry were the worst. They wanted to do something to spend some extra alone time with their son in the last weeks before the baby arrived, but by the end of the evening Emma was too tired for much else. They would all curl up on the couch together, a sleepy blonde head slowly creeping its way to her shoulder until Regina found herself exquisitely sandwiched between her sleeping family. One hand would run lovingly through Henry's hair, while the other itched to do the same to the woman carrying their child, pressed so securely and trustingly against her side.

It was trying, to say the least, to constantly deny her own feelings and desires for Emma when the woman absolutely insisted upon behaving as though acting upon them would be the most natural thing in the world, even if it simply wasn't an option.

A couple of weeks passed in this way, and while things might be immeasurably better than they had been before their midnight heart-to-heart, the constant internal conflict was also taking its toll.

It was still the early hours of the morning when Regina woke after a particularly intense night of physicality, which left her feeling a bit more emotionally vulnerable than she would have liked. Regina had once been a master of compartmentalizing, though even that had seemed to wane in Emma's company, and sometimes it was hard to remember the difference between what they did each night and making love.

Those were the mornings Regina would rise before anyone else, not even wasting time to look for clothes as she slipped silently out of her bedroom, creeping towards the kitchen in her robe and shivering just a bit as her bare legs adjusted to the chill of being forced to untangle from the warmth of Emma's. It was always colder without Emma around, but even still, Regina needed just a few moments of solitude, both to mourn and recover.

Intent on supplying a proper breakfast for her loved ones and having it ready by the time they woke, Regina finished her cup of coffee and pushed herself to her feet, determined to tidy up her emotions and get on with the day. She was hovered over the pan of scrambled eggs when a pajama-clad Emma waddled up to place a sweet 'good morning' kiss upon her cheek.

As her heart begged to catapult from her chest, Regina decided it was time something absolutely needed to be said.

"You can't do that," she chastised, sounding flustered and nowhere near the even tone of instruction she'd intended.

"Do what?" Emma asked, struggling to hoist herself into the tall stool by the counter.

"Kiss me," Regina clarified. She stared down into the pan as she spoke, pretending to give the eggs she could probably make with her eyes closed a thorough inspection.

"Since when?" the other woman prodded with a scoff that said she really wasn't taking this seriously at all.

"On the cheek," Regina reiterated, suddenly wishing that maybe she hadn't brought this up just now when she heard the words come out of her mouth and realized how absurd it must sound, but she remained steadfast. "You cannot kiss me on the cheek."

"Okay..." Emma drawled, unconvinced.

"There needs to be a line," Regina continued to dictate, feeling this point must be made for the sake of her sanity. She couldn't continue living in what had come to feel like two entirely separate realities – the one where she wasn't allowed to touch Emma, and the one where Emma constantly touched her as though it meant something.

"And kissing your cheek is crossing the line but sex isn't?" Emma questioned, all too logically. "Regina, that doesn't make any sense."

She had let so much slide, allowed so much affection to pass between them not only in these past couple weeks, but as long as Emma had been pregnant. Maybe longer. She really shouldn't be surprised that she had to spell it out for the girl.

"We live together, we have a son, we are about to have a daughter, and we are sleeping together both figuratively and literally almost every night," Regina laid out quite matter of factly, ignoring the ache of the words she must utter next. "If we're not going to be a couple, we shouldn't act like one."

She expected some sort of witty rebuttal, a scoff, a sarcastic remark that dismissed the idea of them as a couple outright. What Regina did not expect was a long, pensive silence, punctuated by a small and uncertain, "If?"

"Excuse me?" Regina sputtered, not only caught off guard but utterly and sincerely perplexed by the question.

"You said 'if'," Emma repeated softly. "Do you," she hesitated, trailing off before finding her courage, "_want_ us to be a couple?"

Oh no, Regina panicked. She only meant to snuff out the sparks threatening to ignite inside her, not add fuel to the flames. She'd said entirely too much without even realizing it. Damage control was imperative now.

"You're putting words in my mouth," she hissed defensively. "Taking our relationship to that level isn't something either of us wants." Regina cringed, the repeated words tasting bitter on her tongue. "_Right_?"

Another elongated silence, and then the smallest voice she'd heard from Emma in weeks.

"You heard that?"

Heard it was an understatement. Regina's entire world had been rocked and certainly altered irrevocably by those very words. Her heart had been shattered, and she was only just beginning to piece it back together with shitty scotch tape that could just barely hold up.

"Loud and clear, dear," she replied, all too aware of her vulnerability as she spoke now. "Don't worry."

"Regina," Emma's voice cracked, and there was an inexplicable, shining wetness in her eyes. "Let me explain."

But Regina didn't want an explanation. She didn't want to hear out loud all the reasons she'd pounded viciously into her heart about exactly why they could never be. An explanation wouldn't make anything better.

"I'm quite sure I've heard enough," she said resolutely.

"Okay, but here's the thing," Emma soldiered on, seeming to find her confidence again in something unknown. "Remember when I said I was glad it was you? I meant it. And if you'd asked me why back then, I probably couldn't have told you, because I was still all 'walls up,' or whatever."

That peaked Regina's interest, and Emma waited until the woman shut off the stove and met her gaze before continuing.

"But these past few months... I couldn't have done this without you. You take such good care of me – of all of us. And I guess I was scared at first, but now I know," she shimmied back down from her perch, closing in on Regina as she laid out her truth. "I trust you to never leave me, even when things get hard. I trust you not to break my heart."

A trembling, "_What?_" was all that came came out of Regina's mouth, because what Emma's words implied sounded so much like everything she desperately wished to hear but her heart refused to let them take hold. "What do you mean?"

"Hasn't it been obvious?" Emma asked with a rueful smile, and it was inconceivable that she looked as though her own heart could shatter at any moment, but she did. Regina couldn't reply because she didn't know what she could have missed.

"I'm in love with you," Emma choked, her voice thick with the words that made Regina's heart clench so tightly it physically hurt, but in the most perfect way. "I think I've been falling more and more in love with you this whole damn time. So, I'm just really hoping that," Emma swallowed hard, ready but not quite ready to put it all on the line, "maybe, you might love me back."

Regina shook her head. This wasn't real. This couldn't be happening. She didn't get what she wanted and people like Emma Swan did not love people like her, no matter how much Regina willed or wished it.

"But you said–" she began in a last feeble attempt at denial.

"I lied," Emma cut her off firmly. "You know what she's like. I was lying to my mom to shut her up."

Just like that, Regina ran out of reasons not to believe her. The fire she'd spent so long trying to contain roared to life, racing through her veins and warming the cold ache in her soul.

Both women were silent for a long time after that, lost in the vastness of the moment and trying to make sense of the way everything had just shifted so quickly.

"Please, say something." Emma finally broke. "I'm dying here."

"Yes," Regina forced herself to admit before she could convince herself of another reason to deny it. Everything she wanted was standing right in front of her, telling her she could finally have it, that it actually wanted her back.

"Yeah?" Emma repeated hopefully, tears spilling over her lids and down her cheeks. Regina wasted not a second before wiping them away.

She cradled the timid face in her hands, so full of hope and love that Regina suddenly realized it really _had_ been there all along. For the first time, she allowed herself to kiss the mother of her children, not out of lust and desperation, but with all the love and desire she could finally see was reflecting back at her.

"I love you, Emma," she said at last, the words released like a thousand pound yoke being hoisted off her shoulders. "I love you so very much."

"Thank god," Emma sighed, the words tumbling out of her mouth and straight into Regina's as the woman threw herself forward into a gripping kiss, begging to never be let go. And Regina held on, promising with every touch of her lips that she always would.

Regina kissed her, and kissed her, and _kissed _her, feeling as though this swell of love and the freedom to _finally _be permitted to show it would never subside. She didn't care if it didn't. She could kiss Emma Swan all day long, and suddenly Regina realized that from now on she actually _could. _Emma's kisses were hers alone to enjoy, all day, every day.

She couldn't help but grin against the woman's mouth, thinking that every single second of heartache was worth this. She would endure it all and more a thousand times over, so long as it always meant reaching this place again.

"Gross," Henry's disgruntled voice startled them apart just in time to catch his retreating figure in the doorway.

"Henry, wait," Regina called before he disappeared. "Are you okay with this?"

"With what?" he frowned, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and seeming to find nothing out of the ordinary.

"With me and Emma," she said, realizing they had yet to actually relinquish their hold on each other, "being together."

"Why are you just asking me this now?" he asked with a bit of the teenage sass Regina feared was on its way in full force. "Haven't you been dating for like three months or something?"

Now, that was perplexing. Had he said, "all along," Regina would have chalked it up to his enchanted ideals, remembering the day they first told him about the baby when he'd asked if that meant they'd be getting married. Three months was a curiously specific time frame, and Regina wracked her brain trying to recall just what might have happened at that particular point that was apparently so convincing that her son never even questioned it.

"More like three minutes," Emma chuckled, her eyes twinkling at Regina before returning their attention to Henry. "Why would you think we were already together?"

"Ma, _everyone_ thinks that," Henry rolled his eyes like his mothers were being positively dense. "You guys are always all touchy and weird around each other. People aren't blind... and _I'm_ not deaf," he admonished sternly. "I know you always sleep in Mom's room. I learned to wear my headphones to bed pretty quickly."

"Henry!" Regina gasped, absolutely mortified as she was reminded of exactly what it was that had changed three months ago, and worse still that her son not only knew but had _heard_. "Why didn't you say something?"

"Because I _really _don't want to have the conversation that I'm pretty sure is about to happen now," the boy groaned, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Oh god, me either," Emma's lip furled in distaste, looking incredibly childlike herself as she turned her sad puppy eyes on Regina. "Do we _have_ to?"

Glancing back and forth between matching looks of horrified distress, Regina determined she wasn't any more interested in delving into this right now than anyone else.

"Let's just eat breakfast," she conceded, warming the long cold meal with a wave of her hand. "We can discuss everything this evening."

Emma grinned triumphantly, placing a soft kiss of gratitude on the other woman's lips, and Regina was certain she would never, ever get tired of these small acts.

"Great," Henry muttered. "I guess that means you two are going to be like this all the time now?"

Emma grabbed his arm, pulling him in for a group hug, and Regina caught him smiling secretly as the woman kissed his head.

"You bet your ass, kiddo."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: I can't believe this story is finally finished! Took me longer to write it than it did for Emma to have that baby lmfao! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the love given to this story, it has been incredible and I am honored._

_I know a lot of people were waiting till it was complete to read, so if that's you pretty please don't forget to at least leave a couple words here on this last chapter and let me know what you thought! I'm also really hoping to write a sequel, so if that's of interest I'd love to hear._

_A final big thank you to michaelawaffles for all her hard work editing! It wouldn't have been the same without your help!_

_Really hope you all enjoy the end of this story and thanks so much for reading!_

* * *

Regina was late to work that morning, much to the astonishment of her assistant who knew all too well the mayor's affinity for promptness. She really had tried to make it out the door on time, but she couldn't seem to cross the threshold without deciding she needed one more glance, one more touch, one more kiss from the woman she was absolutely _loath_ to leave behind for a pile of bureaucratic bullshit after what they'd just finally confessed.

Emma Swan _loved her. _That beautiful idiot actually loved her back. Regina couldn't possibly focus on work today.

"Madame Mayor?" Her assistant peered into the office around midday, interrupting her constant stream of thoughts about Emma and looking quite perplexed by the cheerful grin that refused to leave her employer's face. "You have an unscheduled visitor out front."

"Send them in," Regina replied, thankful for a distraction and not even bothering to pretend she didn't hope said distraction might actually be Emma herself.

Her elation was mildly dampened when she saw Rumpelstiltskin enter her office instead, though nothing could really steal the magic of this day. Curiosity around his reasons for visiting found their way to the surface as well.

"To what do I owe the displeasure?" she snarked at the man whom Emma and Henry liked to refer to as Regina's "frenemy." A ridiculous word, to be sure, but when they explained the meaning she supposed it applied to some degree.

"I come in peace, Your Majesty," he said with a sardonic bow. "And bearing gifts as well."

"What sort of gifts?" Regina inquired skeptically, not completely doubting his sentiments but maintaining a healthy air of caution.

"See for yourself," he declared, placing a carefully wrapped package upon her desk. Belle's work, no doubt.

With slight trepidation she peeled the paper away, unfolding the flaps of cardboard to reveal a child's mobile of white and dark blue glass unicorns.

"Well, you really went all out didn't you," Regina quipped, recognizing the object immediately. "This thing has been sitting in your shop for decades."

"It was meant to belong to the Savior," Rumple replied. "We thought she might enjoy passing it on to her child."

Oh, Regina thought to herself, Emma would indeed love that – having little left from her childhood for herself, let alone to pass down. She would have to hold off on presenting the gift if she didn't want to see the woman burst into tears on sight.

"Of course by 'we' you mean Belle," Regina inferred, keeping her musings to herself, which were most likely correct since he didn't refute it. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously. "There's always a catch with you."

He grinned, an impish leer that to a lesser fool might seem benign, but Regina knew he had ulterior motives.

"Come now, Regina," he cooed in his awful, disarming way. "The child of the Evil Queen and the Savior? She'll be a force to be reckoned with. The power such a child will yield... Well, let's just say I want to be on the right side of history when she comes of age."

"Selfish as ever," Regina scoffed.

"Not entirely so," he replied. "I'm thinking of my wife as well. But do the motives really matter? I'm proposing a truce, once and for all."

Under any other circumstances, she would have laughed in his face. After everything they had been through, after all he had done, it was almost unimaginable. She didn't want their sordid past to impact her innocent daughter though, and she wasn't about to turn down anything that worked to ensure the child's safety.

"Very well," Regina agreed, not the least bit convinced it was permanent, but willing to take the offer while it stood for the sake of her baby girl. "You have your truce."

"Excellent," the man gleamed, making to depart. "In that case, I'll leave you to your duties."

"Rumple, wait," she called before he could leave. Although she hated to ask him for anything, there was something pressing on her mind and she figured the less visits she had to pay this man, the better.

While the medical degrees doled out by her curse certainly provided adequate prenatal care, their knowledge was limited to that of this realm and gave little insight into the circumstances around the child's conception. Despite Emma's declaration that she would indeed be willing to spawn more tiny Swan-Mills children, Regina didn't want that to happen before the woman was ready. Rumple provided them with knowledge on the the subject once before and, unfortunately, Regina didn't know who else she could turn to.

"Emma and I weren't looking to have a child when all this began," she inquired as vaguely as she could. "How do we... _delay_ that from happening again?"

Rumple sneered and Regina knew she had not been nearly as ambiguous as she hoped.

"I didn't imagine that would be an issue for the two of you, by your own insistence."

"Well," Regina tipped her chin high, hating to give this man the satisfaction, but she would never hide nor feel shame for her newfound relationship with Emma. "It concerns us now."

"Lucky for me that I made peace when I did," he chortled, no doubt at the idea of an entire brood of she and Emma's magically inclined offspring. "If Ms. Swan can manage to remember to take a daily pill, all should be well," he offered free of charge, apparently making good on his truce. "Don't over complicate things."

"Regina?" a voice that made her heart soar called from the doorway. She should have known Emma would never ask for permission for before barging into the mayoral office. "Oh," the girl said sheepishly upon laying eyes on Rumpelstiltskin. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Regina couldn't believe how only a few hours away from the woman made her stomach somersault like a schoolgirl at prom. All her life she had dreamt of feeling this way, but never once had she imagined it would be a woman with messy blonde hair and a belly ripe with her own child that made it so indisputably true.

"You are never an interruption, my dear," Regina replied affectionately. "Mr. Gold was just leaving."

"That I was," the man confirmed most readily. "And may I again offer my sincere congratulations to you both."

With that, he took his leave, Regina rolling her eyes and Emma eyeing him suspiciously all the way out the door.

"What was that about?" the woman asked once they were alone.

"Apparently, he's afraid of our daughter," Regina replied with amusement.

"He should be," Emma nodded affirmatively. "Ducky's gonna kick his ass, someday."

"No doubt," Regina laughed, unable to take her eyes off the slightly disheveled vision before her. Making her way around the desk, Regina cupped the woman's face in her hands, planting a loving kiss on soft lips – something she wasn't sure she would ever get used to having the privilege of doing. "Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I brought lunch," Emma declared, holding up the brown bag Regina had yet to notice in her hands. "I know it's silly but I just," she shrugged shyly, "I really wanted to see you."

"That's not silly at all," Regina assured, knowing the feeling well. She placed the bag of food on her desk before turning her attention back to the girl. "I missed you."

Emma beamed so brightly at her words that any trepidation Regina felt at uttering them was immediately extinguished. This was real, Regina had to constantly remind herself, unable to believe how incredibly lucky she was.

"We missed you, too," Emma replied with a goofy grin, one hand on her belly to indicate their unborn child. Regina reached out and covered Emma's fingers with her own, delighted to feel a soft roll beneath her palm on the other side of the mound.

"It's so funny," Emma said, tracing lazy patterns on Regina's forearm. "Everything's technically kind of the same, but it all feels so different now." She smiled broadly as she spoke. "_Good_ different, I mean."

"Yes," Regina agreed. "It is most certainly, very good."

She kissed Emma again. She had to, because she could, and it was all too tempting and enticing to dangle something so delicious and willing right in front of her face. Kissing Emma had never been a chore, but it also had never been like this. There was always an air of duty, of responsibility and expectation attached, or so Regina felt. Now, it was a privilege of the most luxurious kind, and Regina would revel in every second of it for as long as fate allowed – which she hoped would be forever.

But when Emma whimpered into her mouth, Regina knew well enough to recognize it wasn't one of pleasure, and she quickly pulled back.

"Did I hurt you?" she inquired urgently, horrified at the prospect.

"No, no," Emma promised on shortened breath, gripping at her abdomen. "It's just cramps or something."

"Cramps?" Regina questioned. That didn't sound right. She'd done her research, and never once did she come across an instance of mere cramping this late in pregnancy. "How long have you been having them?"

"On and off all morning," Emma shrugged dismissively. "I'm fine, really. We should eat."

"I'm not sure that's best," Regina said as calmly as she could.

"Why not?" Emma asked innocently.

"Emma, darling," Regina tried to be as soft and comforting as possible. "I think you may be in labor."

Emma's eyes widened in fear, and Regina pulled her closer in an attempt to absolve it.

"Wasn't it like this with Henry?" Regina inquired. Emma shook her head.

"Henry was overdue," she explained. "He was induced. It was a lot of nothing followed by a lot of pain. It wasn't like this."

Regina realized the woman had been in labor since before she even woke, her early morning waddle into the kitchen suddenly making sense, as Emma rarely arose at such an hour.

"It's too early," Emma insisted frantically. "I'm not due for another two weeks at least!"

"You're thirty-seven weeks," Regina replied. "The baby's full term. Ella warned us it could happen any time."

"I'm not ready," Emma was on the verge of tears. "I thought I had more time. Regina, I'm not ready yet."

Regina took the woman's face between gentle palms again, letting the pad of her thumb trace soothingly over a trembling cheek. She expected more time too, and of course she was afraid, but their baby girl was making her way into the world at last and she couldn't be more thrilled. With Emma by her side, she knew they would find their way.

"_You_ might not be ready," Regina said calmly. "But _we are. _We can do this, together."

Emma stared back at her, eyes still filled with fright, but there was also trust and that was all Regina needed from her right now. She could carry the rest.

"This is it," Regina declared, unable to contain her joy as she placed a kiss on the woman's lips. "We're having a baby, Emma."

And at last Emma smiled, tears still filling her eyes, though the fear was all but extinguished as she nodded her head.

"We're having a baby."

* * *

They stopped at home to grab the hospital bag that was already packed to go, thanks to Regina. Emma had insisted that it wouldn't be necessary yet, but in the end gave in. Regina smirked, thinking a little dose of "I told you so" might be in order. The thought and smile both vanished as Emma appeared in the doorway with a definite pout on her face, one that could easily morph into tears if pushed the wrong way.

"What's the matter?" Regina asked.

"My water just broke," Emma replied woefully. "I hate this. Why does having a baby have to be such a damn mess?" As if to punctuate her point, a contraction hit full force, and Emma's face twisted in agony. "Regina!" she yelped as she lost her breath.

Regina was by her side instantly, holding up Emma's weight. The woman gripped her arm hard enough to bruise as she rode out the pain, but Regina said nothing of it, focusing solely on supporting Emma and helping her through this.

"How long?" Emma gasped about a minute later, finally loosening her hold but not releasing it.

"Nine minutes," Regina replied. "They're getting closer, and I'd venture to say stronger by the look of it. Which means we need to clean you up and get going before this baby decides to make her debut in our hallway."

Emma cracked a smile and Regina considered that a success, doing her best to keep the laboring woman calm, relaxed, and as happy as possible despite the discomfort.

But by the time Emma changed, they called Ella and were finally on their way to the hospital, the contractions were coming even faster and things were anything but calm. Emma was positively writhing in pain and it was all Regina could do to focus on getting them to their destination safely.

"Shit, Regina," Emma cried out. "I feel like I need to push!"

"Don't you dare," Regina ordered, still surprisingly composed given the rapidly accelerating situation. "We are not delivering this baby on the side of the road."

She didn't feel composed at all though. Her one job right now was to keep Emma and their baby safe. She had promised, and right now it felt like that was slipping from her grasp. Regina pressed a bit harder on the gas.

"Just a little longer, Emma," she assured, as much for herself as the woman beside her. "We're almost there."

By the grace of fate or the gods or whatever larger force might be looking out for them, they made it to the hospital in time. Emma was immediately deposited into a wheelchair and they shot off to the labor and delivery wing.

"Jesus," Ella muttered upon checking the woman's dilation. "Another ten minutes and you might have had to deliver this baby yourself, Regina." She turned her full attention to Emma then, already strapped to more monitors than Regina could comprehend. "Emma, it's time. This baby is coming _now_. "

In retrospect, they should have suspected any child of the both of them would arrive on her own terms – when she pleased and as quickly as she deemed. They were never going to have any say in the matter.

"I can't," Emma wailed. "It hurts so much. Regina..."

"Go," Ella mouthed with an encouraging nod of her head towards Emma. Already hovering over the woman and holding her hands, Regina wasn't sure what else she was supposed to do. She had never experienced a birth, for herself nor as a witness, and all the research in the world hadn't prepared her for the actual event.

"Sit with her," Ella instructed, seeing the confusion so plainly on the woman's face. "Behind her. Let her know she's not alone. Help her push."

Regina didn't hesitate a moment before climbing onto the hospital bed, holding the distraught mother securely between her thighs and clasping their hands together.

"I'm right here, Emma," she cooed into the girl's ear. "We're going to do this together, just like I promised months ago. Remember?" Emma calmed a bit then, nodding her head weakly, already worn out from her efforts. "I know it's hard, and I know it hurts. But I'm not going to let anything happen to you or our baby. You just have to do what Ella says, and after we meet our little girl you can take a much deserved nap."

Emma smiled despite herself at the prospect, so tired from the toll on her body. But she was ready now. With a confirming nod to Ella, it was time to begin.

"Alright, Emma," Ella said determinedly. "When you feel the next contraction, I need you to push as hard as you can."

The contractions were coming so quickly that it was only mere seconds before Emma complied.

"I can already see the head!" Ella announced excitedly. "Again, Emma."

Emma pushed, and pushed, and pushed. It seemed like ages to Regina, waiting to see their child while helplessly listening to her beloved's cries of anguish. The whole ordeal actually lasted only minutes. In a whirlwind that Regina could barely comprehend, the lights in the room flickered and sparked. In the next instant Emma finally fell limp against her body, still gasping and sweating as the writhing infant was placed upon her chest.

"Oh my god," Emma squeaked emotionally as her arms came up to encircle the child. "Hi there, Ducky girl."

Tears streamed down Regina's cheeks unabashedly as she too reached around Emma to caress the tiny, wailing creature. Magic did not begin to describe this child. Even all red and unwashed, with her full lips that were so clearly Regina's, and her big, bold eyes that were unmistakably Emma's – and doomed to be Regina's downfall – she was the perfect combination of them both. Regina didn't find it remotely immodest to think that she was the most beautiful little girl this world ever saw.

"Emma," Regina croaked, voice filled with wonder. "She's absolutely perfect."

"Mom?" Ella called gently, holding out a pair of scissors. "Would you like to cut the cord?"

Regina nodded her head, very much wanting to be a part of every element possible in her daughter's birth. Not that it dampened their love for Henry in the slightest, but this was an entirely new experience for both mothers, and every aspect of it was to be relished to the fullest degree.

"We made this," Emma said, sounding equally astounded as she tipped her head back, far enough for Regina to place a loving kiss on her lips. "We did it, Regina."

"Yes," Regina grinned, thinking that of all the things they had achieved together, this was quite certainly their best. "We did."

* * *

The baby was taken to be cleaned, measured, and wrapped. It wouldn't take longer than a few minutes but Regina stayed put, holding Emma close through her postpartum care, knowing these first moments of separation would be hard for the girl after carrying their child for so long.

Once all had settled and the snoozing bundle was returned, Regina extracted herself to make the necessary phone calls, most importantly to their son, and then to Emma's parents.

Henry whooped so loudly when Regina told him the news that she was forced to pull the receiver away from her ear, and Emma laughed at the sound and the startled look on Regina's face. Their son made her promise, several times, that she would be sure to have his grandparents pick him up on their way to the hospital.

It wasn't long before the Charmings arrived with the boys in tow. David hung back with Neal, containing himself a little better than his wife and grandson, both of whom made a hurried beeline towards Emma and the baby. It didn't go unnoticed that Regina didn't have any family on her own side to call but, quite frankly, all the family she really needed was right here – whether some of them had the tendency to grate her nerves or not.

Henry sat on the edge of the bed next to Emma, reaching out to gently pull the blankets away from his sister's chin.

"Wow, Moms," he said with a nod of approval, "she's really cute. Nice work."

"Thank you, Henry," Regina chuckled. "'Cuteness' _was _high on our list of priorities."

"I don't think there was ever any question that she would be a looker," Snow declared. "Now, if there are no objections, I absolutely must hold my granddaughter immediately."

Regina bristled just a bit with possessiveness.

"Slow down, Mom," Emma said gently, sounding absolutely serene, her voice calming the prickle that ran down Regina's spine. "There's someone else who needs their turn first. Regina's been so busy making sure you all knew Ducky was here, she hasn't even had a chance yet." She turned to Regina, lovingly caressing the slumbering burrito upon her chest. "Would you like to hold her?"

Regina felt like she might cry all over again, both for Emma's thoughtfulness and at the prospect of finally, after so much longing and waiting, actually holding her precious little girl.

"Yes," Regina whispered, barely able to utter the word without sobbing. "Very much." She lost the battle entirely as the child was placed in her grasp, remembering the first time she'd held Henry in her arms as well.

She was overcome with emotion about both her newborn daughter and how very quickly her son had grown. Had Henry ever even been this small? Surely he had seen plenty of growth in his three weeks of life before they were united, but Regina could barely comprehend she once held her son in her arms this way. It was certainly a reminder that she must cherish every second of both her children's existences.

"What's her name?" David asked, approaching with a very intrigued baby Neal as Snow settled for a caress of the baby's soft, chubby cheek.

The mothers eyed each other a bit guiltily before Emma admitted, "She doesn't have one yet, actually. We were supposed to have a bit more time to figure that out."

Except, unbeknownst to Emma, Regina had been thinking long and hard, particularly over the past couple of weeks. She knew just what Emma would like to name the little one, and while Regina had resisted it adamantly, the events of the day changed her mind. While surely there would be times ahead when she might loathe this decision, she knew beyond a doubt what their child was meant to be called.

"Maria," Regina announced with absolute certainty. "Her name is Maria."

Emma turned to her with glistening eyes, full of that same hope and love and pure adoration that Regina could never get enough of. She wasn't just trying to make Emma happy this time though. As she gazed down at the absolutely exquisite little girl in her arms, she just knew it was right.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked hopefully, as delighted by the suggestion as Regina had hoped she might be.

"What's wrong with 'Maria'?" David inquired obliviously.

"It's a beautiful name," Snow agreed with her husband, smiling as their own child was brought close enough to prod curiously at the infant's tiny face.

"It's the closest she's let me get to naming her after you," Emma replied, still grinning reverently at the mother of her children holding their baby in her arms with such doting affection.

"I named Henry after my father," Regina shrugged, feigning indifference as she took a seat on the open side of the bed next to Emma. "It's only fair to let you name her after your mother. Besides," she finally let her guard down a bit, finding a sense of appreciation for the woman that had so valiantly attempted to make them recognize their true feelings, "at the end of the day, she's not such a bad namesake to have."

Snow smirked with a mock glare at Regina, and as their eyes locked a silent understanding passed between them. Regina smiled back diminutively, and no more needed to be said.

"Maria Swan-Mills," Emma uttered out loud, tasting the name on her tongue for the first time. She cupped the baby's tiny head in her hands, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. "It's perfect," she said, fingertips rising to gently trail over Regina's cheek and tenderly guide their lips together. "Thank you."

"Is this still you two pretending you're not a couple?" Snow asked, kindly waiting a moment before commenting on the display of affection, though sounding thoroughly smug once she did. "Or are we finally done with that charade?"

Regina rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. As much as she hated to admit Snow had been right, in this instance she was incredibly grateful for it as well.

"Yes," she replied, glancing to Emma out of habit for any signs of deflection, finding only that same twinkling grin she loved. "We are a couple."

"No," Emma corrected, making Regina's stomach flutter with uncertainty, but the girl's expression never faltered as she pulled Henry closer and placed a kiss on Maria's head. "We're a family."

* * *

Since Maria decided to make her way into this world ahead of schedule, she was kept in the hospital just a little longer as a precautionary measure. Emma could have well been released soon after the birth since she suffered no complications, but no one was going to force the Savior to check out without her newborn child. And so it was that Emma and Regina both spent the next couple nights sleeping in hospital beds, since fewer people still would suggest the Queen leave without her brood.

Two days after the child's birth, they were finally cleared to take their little girl home. This much Regina had done before, but Emma was all excitement and nerves.

"Are you sure we have everything we need?" the woman asked with anxious trepidation.

"Yes, dear," Regina replied evenly. "And anything else is just a short drive away."

Emma turned to their sweetly sleeping girl resting in her carrier, adjusting Maria's little lavender cap a bit more securely over her ridiculously small ears.

"Do you think she'll be warm enough? It's still the middle of winter... Maybe we should get another blanket."

"She'll be just fine," Regina assured again. "She is perfectly bundled and Henry is warming the car as we speak."

"You installed the car seat base, right?" Emma inquired, finding a new worry among the consolation. "You're sure it's secure?"

Were it anyone else questioning her this way, Regina might have felt annoyed. But it was Emma. And while perhaps unnecessary, Regina found her attention to Maria's safety and well-being positively endearing.

"Emma, darling," Regina halted her gathering of knick knacks to take the fretting woman in her arms. "I have installed a car seat many times before. With us for mothers, our little Maria is undoubtedly the safest baby in all of Storybrooke. You needn't worry so much."

Emma sighed, laughing a little at herself and relaxing into Regina's comforting embrace.

"She's just," the woman began, peering again at the precious commodity in their care, "she's so _tiny_, Regina. Christ, just look at her! How can I be entrusted with something so small and perfect?"

"There is no one in this world I would rather entrust with the life of my children," Regina replied with conviction. "Emma," she gently pushed blonde hair out of her love's eyes. "Let's take our baby girl home."

With a nod that was more faith than certainty, Emma agreed, allowing Regina to finally carry their daughter to the waiting car. Henry was thrilled at being permitted to ride shotgun while Emma rode in back with Maria, staring intently at the peaceful child as she slept.

The solidified family made their way into their home as a unit at last, dropping coats and bags along the way. For once, Regina didn't mind the clutter. They could tend to it later.

"I have something for you," Regina said sheepishly, feeling like now was finally the moment. "A gift."

"Regina," Emma smiled sweetly. "It's your birthday and I didn't even have a chance to get you anything. Besides, you know don't need anything but you and our kids."

"I've had more than my share my birthdays in my life," Regina chuckled. "And not one sentiment I ever received has compared to bringing my child home."

They smiled adoringly at one another, and Regina knew Emma understood there was no greater gift than the ones she had already bestowed upon her: their children.

"I researched a lot of things while you were pregnant," Regina persisted after a moment, "and it seems somewhat traditional to present the mother of your children with a 'push present'." She fished around in her bag until she found a small box. "I wasn't sure what to get you for the longest time. I wanted it to be something that represented our family, something you could keep with you always. And so..."

In lieu of completing her thought, she presented the box to Emma. The woman eyed her amorously as she opened it, tears springing to her eyes when she saw the necklace.

It had four tiny pendants hanging delicately from a silver chain. In the middle were two birthstones, a diamond for Henry, and garnet for Maria. Two charms laid on the outside – a swan, and a crown.

"Oh, Regina," Emma gasped as the tears spilled over her cheeks, hormones still haywire and triggered by the sight. "Thank you."

Maria finally squeaked, as if demanding to be a part of the scene, and all eyes fell to the child immediately.

"Can I hold her?" Henry asked excitedly, eager for his chance now that things were calm and there wasn't a rush of adults grabbing for his little sister at every turn.

"Of course," Emma grinned, lifting the tiny stirring bundle into her arms. "She might be hungry soon, but I think she could use some big-brother time until then."

"Well, just warn me before that happens," Henry pleaded, horrified at the prospect of accidentally catching sight of a _boob_ again. Both women laughed as he seated himself on the couch, readily accepting the child into his arms.

"She's got to eat, kid." Emma laughed at his furled lip. "You might just have to get used to it for a while."

Regina snapped a few pictures of the sibling duo together, unable to resist capturing such a superb sight for all time. Henry rolled his eyes at the gesture, but smiled anyway. They knew he'd want a copy of the photos for himself, even if he pretended to loath the gesture.

Camera set aside, Regina finally took her chance to place the necklace around Emma's neck, arms carefully encircling the recovering woman from behind when she was done. She kissed the skin still proffered, basking gluttonously in the scent and feel as they both admired their sweetly bonding children.

"So, what do we do now?" Emma whispered. "Just live happily ever after?"

"I don't know, dear," Regina chuckled, happier and more at home than she could have ever imagined being. "But I don't think this is the happy ending just yet."

"You don't?" Emma turned enough to face her, greeted by a tender kiss.

"No," Regina replied with a triumphant grin. "I think this is just the beginning."


End file.
